


You in My Heart

by bellepoque



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2020-06-23 12:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19701697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellepoque/pseuds/bellepoque
Summary: Sana and Momo are always together. They are the best of friends and they think nothing's going to change that. Until they enter a boarding school, meeting new friends, and learning new feelings for each other.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic and English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for all the mistakes! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Sana and Momo are inseparable.

They first met when they just entered elementary school. Being the only Japanese girls in a Korean School who couldn’t speak Korean fluently, they are each other’s first friend. They got along really well and they always do everything together. Even when they’ve grown up, already fluent in Korean and have many other friends, they are still each other’s number one. Everyone knows about how close they are. When there’s Sana, there’s Momo and vice versa.

They just graduated junior high and are applying for high school. Of course, they’re planning to apply for the same school. There’s one boarding school which is famous for its vocal and dancing club. They won many awards and are acknowledged by so many successful singers and dancers. Momo really loves dancing, and everyone who knows her knows how good she is. Sana on the other hand, interested in the vocal club. So, they decide to apply for the school. Momo’s parents are so carefree, they let Momo do what she wants. Sana’s parents are a bit protective, because Sana is their only child. But in the end they let Sana apply for the school because she will be with Momo, and they know Sana will be alright.

.

“I’m scared, what if they say I’m not good enough?” Momo says anxiously, standing in front of the door to the dancing club. Sana holds her hand, reassuring her.

“Hey, you won’t. You are the best I’ve ever seen! And I’m not saying it because you’re my friend. If they say you’re not good enough, I’ll destroy all their awards and the whole club if I have to.” She says holding up a fist. Momo can’t help but smile at her friend. Sana’s words always lift her spirit. Her mind has calmed down now.

“Thanks, Sana. Seriously.” She kisses the back of Sana’s hand before letting it go. “Text me when you’re done, okay? I’ll wait for you at the front gate.”

“Okay. Good luck Momorin.” Momo nods. After wishing Sana luck, she enters the room. Sana walks to her own clubroom too, hoping she will be fine.

.

The vocal club’s first meeting includes introductions from all the new members and demonstrations. Sana can’t help but feel anxious. She’s afraid her voice will crack because she’s too nervous. But after so many attempts to calm herself, she can sing well when it’s her turn. She earns applauses which makes her sigh in relief. After the demonstrations, the seniors let them all to talk freely and get to know each other. Sana doesn’t expect the club to be this hospitable, she thought it would be more strict. She won’t complain, though.

Sana is really friendly, she talks with so many people. Some of them are kind of surprised she is Japanese, because her Korean is really good. All the members including the old and new ones are kind as well, some even offering her snacks and candies.

An old member but is in the same grade as Sana approaches her, her name is Nayeon. She said that they are in the same class and she likes Sana’s voice. She has cute front teeth just like bunnies and she is so cheerful. She really knows how to hold a conversation and Sana likes her already. She gets to know Nayeon’s best friends too, Jeongyeon and Jihyo. The three of them have been joining the club since the first year of middle school and it shows in their voices. Their voices are really beautiful when they sing that Sana can’t help but fascinated.

A tall, beautiful girl catches her eyes. She notices the girl doesn’t talk too much and doesn’t blend with the others. Her uniform is different from hers, which means she is in the middle school. Sana, along with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo approach her. The girl flinches when Sana taps her shoulder, but Sana warm smile calms her down. Her name is Tzuyu and she’s a transfer student from Taiwan. She says she’s not really confident with her Korean, and is afraid of making friends. But Sana and the others says that that they will be her friends, which makes her happy.

Sana likes her club, she’s happy with her decision on joining.

She just hopes Momo feels the same.

.

Their first meeting just includes introductions. One of the seniors says the new members will perform their dancing skill on the next meeting, which is tomorrow. Momo sighs in relief, she’s too nervous today and she’s in no best condition to perform.

To her surprise, the club is pretty carefree. The seniors even prepare snacks and drinks in the middle of the room for the new members and say that they can just talk and get to know each other. They are so friendly as well, talk to each of the new members and wishing them luck for the performance tomorrow. This makes the new members feel relaxed and they start to have friendly conversations among themselves.

Unlike Sana, Momo’s not that good at making friends. Because even though she’s loud and talkative to some people, Momo’s actually really shy. She gets awkward in front of new people. Some approach her, but she just says little and just mostly nods. She feels bad, though, she doesn’t want others to think she’s a loner.

There’s one girl that Momo keeps on staring during introduction. A Japanese girl, her name is Myoui Mina. Momo can’t keep her eyes off her because she is so beautiful, and her voice is so soft. She observes that Mina’s not that talkative either, seeing that she just mostly nods and smiles. So, Momo gathers all her courage to talk to her and ask her to be her friend.

“H-hey, I’m Hirai Momo. I think you are so beautiful and I can’t take my eyes off you. Do you want to be my friend?” Momo smiles, holding out her hand. Mina just stares at her, mouth slightly open. Momo wonders if she says something wrong until she realises she DID say EVERYTHING wrong. And even worse, she said that in Kansai dialect, which she rarely uses except when she’s too panic or emotional.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean that! I mean, I do think you’re beautiful but no, I mean-“ She becomes panic and can’t even think straight. Damn, why can’t she be good at socializing?! Momo curses herself until she hears Mina chuckles.

“Of course, my name is Myoui Mina. Nice to meet you, Momo.” Mina smiles at her and shakes her hand. Her smile is so beautiful it makes Momo blush. She mumbles out an apology but Mina just laughs even more, reassuring her that it’s okay.

Mina is so beautiful. And kind. And gentle. And beautiful. She just transferred from Japan to Korea last year, but her Korean is good, maybe even better than Momo. She’s easy to talk to and Momo feels comfortable with her.

Maybe she can do this after all.

.

“Seriously?! You really said THAT?!” Sana laughs really loud that people start looking at their direction. Momo hits her arm, can’t be more embarrassed than she already is. They are in the dorm cafetaria for dinner. After telling each other’s stories about their clubs, Sana can’t help but laugh at Momo’s awkwardness everytime she makes mistakes. Sana loves it though, the way Momo just blush and stutter when she’s nervous. It’s cute. But she won’t ever tell Momo that.

“Sorry, sorry. But I really want to meet this Mina girl now, is she here?” Momo pouts before looking around, searching for Mina. She finds her at the drink section, now looking for a place to sit. Momo calls out to her, offering the empty chair on their table. Mina notices her and sit on the chair opposite of Momo.

“Mina, this is Sana. She’s my childhood friend. She’s Japanese too. Sana, this is Mina from dancing club.” Momo introduces them both. Sana smiles at Mina and they shake hands. They have lots of conversations while eating and Mina feels comfortable talking with both of them, which makes Sana and Momo glad.

Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo approach them, asking if they can sit with them. Sana introduces them to Momo and Mina, and of course they say yes. They talk a lot and just like with Mina, Momo finds herself enjoying her time with them. Jeongyeon even challenge Momo to an eating competition, after they see that Momo doesn’t stop munching. Momo accept this and they have a short competition deciding on who can eat the fastest between the two. Momo wins, but Jeongyeon can’t accept it and challenge Momo for the next one. The others just laugh and cheer at them.

.

“Your friends are nice, I like them.” Momo says reaching up her blanket, preparing to sleep.

“I like Mina too. I thought she doesn’t talk much, but I guess I was wrong.” Sana giggles, remembering how Mina became really talkative when she’s talking about the games she likes. She lays on her bed too, even though she’s not really sleepy. “You want to sleep now?” She asks Momo.

“Yeah, I guess. I have to wake up early tomorrow so I can practice for the performance.” Momo yawns.

“What song do you want to perform?”

Momo ponders this question. “I’m thinking of 'Beliver', because that’s what I did recently with my sister. What do you think?”

Sana smiles brightly, “I think that’s a good idea! You and your sister made the choreography, right? I like it, and I’m sure everyone will like it too.” Momo thanks Sana for encouraging her. They smile at each other for a while before saying good night.

.

Sana wakes up hearing the alarm from her phone. She finds the bed next to hers empty, meaning Momo already went to the practice room. The dancing club is one of the famous clubs in their school, so they even have their own practice room in the dorm. She hears her phone vibrates, notification for a new message pops up. It’s Momo.

_“I’m done practicing. Wait for me! Let’s go to class together.”_

Sana smiles. Even though they’re joining different clubs, they still try to spend time with each other as much as they can, even it’s just going to class together. She replies, and enter the bathroom to take a shower.

When she’s out of the bathroom, still wrapped in her towel, she sees Momo’s already in the room, preparing her clothes. Momo hears the bathroom door opening and looks over the direction. She doesn’t realise she has been staring at Sana. She gulps. They’ve been together for a very long time, so seeing Sana without clothes on is just a normal thing. But Momo never realised that Sana has grown so much that she becomes so, SO beautiful. Sana has always been cute, and Momo knew that already. But nowadays, Sana’s whole figure catches her attention. She stares at her face, her arms, her bare legs, her fair skin, even at the water dropping from her hair.

Sana doesn’t find Momo staring at her weird, because she too finds herself staring back at Momo. Momo just finished practicing, so she wears her practice attire. She’s wearing a black short croptop and skinny leggings. Unlike Sana, Momo is good at sport and she has the perfect body everyone dreams of. Momo’s body is just beyond perfect. Her abs, muscles, breasts, hips, and waist all have the perfect shape. Sana bites her lip. She doesn’t say anything, just keep on staring.

They keep on staring at each other for some time, until Sana coughs and look away, telling Momo to take a shower. Momo snaps out of her mind and nods, hurrying to the bathroom. Sana can’t believe herself doing that. She feels guilty for staring at Momo like that.

 _'Geez what am I getting so work up for? It’s just Momo for God’s sake!'_ Her face is so red and hot. Her heart is beating fast. Thank God Momo’s already wearing her uniform when she’s out of the bathroom, or else Sana would stare at her again. They have breakfast together. Sana tries her best to clear her mind. Little does she know that Momo does the same.

.

There’s no activities from the vocal group. Most of them, including the seniors all curious about the performance from the dancing club. It’s held in the gym and everyone who want to see can see it.

“Sorry guys, we’re actually not doing anything right now. There’s no competition at the moment and we just usually practicing our vocals. You can just practice or go home. ” One of the seniors say and she just walks out with her friends toward the gym.

“Sana! You’re going to see the performance, right?” Nayeon grabs her shoulders from behind. They just know each other for a day but Sana likes it that she already clings to her like they’re old friends.

“Of course! You guys are joining me, aren’t you?” Sana’s happy her friends going to see Momo performs. They ask Tzuyu to join her, and she says she’s planning to see it too. Tzuyu’s friends are in the dancing club. They walk to the gym together.

.

Momo’s nervous. Like, really nervous. She’s always like this before performing. But this time Sana and her sister are not here to calm her down. All the more, she gets the last turn. What if everyone is too good that her moves look stiff? What if she’s too clumsy that she trips? Her breath feels heavy and her heart’s beating so fast. She's surprised so many people come, she’s not expecting it. Mina looks at her worried and asks her if she’s okay, but she smiles and said that she’s fine.

She sees Sana entering the door, among the crowd. She’s with her friends from the vocal group. Sana notices her and waves her hand, mouthing a good luck with a reassuring smile. Seeing Sana here, Momo’s mind calms a little and she can breath normally again. It’s okay. She can do it. She’s not a child anymore. And with Sana being here, she feels like she can do anything.

.

Most of them are doing pretty good, but there are three people that catch Momo’s interest.

First, Kim Dahyun. Her performance doesn’t look hard, and the steps are actually easy. But something in her performance makes everyone stare at her. She has her own charisma and uniqueness that make her different from everyone else. She’s funny too, always smiling widely and makes everyone in the room laugh.

Second, Son Chaeyoung. She’s a small girl who Momo realises always with Dahyun. Her dance is good, but what makes Momo gapes is that she dances while rapping. Her rap is so good and she said that she wrote it herself. She looks cute, but when she’s performing she looks really cool.

Third, Mina. Mina moves are so elegant. She did say that she learned ballet for years. Even though she almost thought Mina can only do ballet, she surprised her. She’s performing a modern dance, and she’s good at it. Her moves are not stiff but still, beautiful and elegant.

It’s almost time for her turn. Momo’s heart start beating faster again. She clenched her fist, telling herself that she will do just fine. She gives one more look at Sana, and almost like they have telepathy, Sana looks over at her direction too. Sana smiles at Momo, nodding. Momo nods back. She can do it.

It’s Momo’s turn. Because everyone but her already performed, some of the audience start to move around, some anticipate and curious what she will show. Momo took a deep breath, and plays the music.

.

Sana had seen Momo dance to ‘Believer’ by Imagine Dragons with her sister in the past. It was amazing, and everyone who watched with Sana cheer them loudly. But now, with Momo growing up, the dance becomes more impressive. Sana doesn’t know much about dance, but by far, Momo is the best dancer among all the new members. Her moves are so sharp, so energetic, and her facial expressions are perfect. The crowd are all silent. Everyone just stare in disbelief at the stage. Even the seniors who are supposed to be judging just gawk at her. Her friends are all bewildered. How can someone who ate a lot, had food all over her face and whining like a baby last night, becomes a mature, serious and fierce girl on the stage?

Momo is so different when she dance. She’s such a sweet girl, childish, silly, and clumsy but when she dance she looks so sexy, her charisma overflows. This is one of the many reasons why people are interested in her and giving her love letters when they’re in middle school. Momo doesn’t realise it though, she’s too dense to her surroundings.

Sana’s heart’s beating so fast. She knew how Momo is when she dance, but this time she takes her breath away. Moreover, she keeps remembering Momo’s figure this morning. Her breath becomes heavy, and she can hear her pulse in her ears. _'What’s wrong with me? It’s not like this is the first time I see her perform!'_ Sana fights her mind, but her body can’t lie. She feels weird butterflies in her stomach. And she doesn’t know what that means.

.

The music ends. Momo ends her performance perfectly. She’s panting, but her expression remains unchanged, still serious and fierce. After a while, though, she starts to panic. Was she that bad that everyone stare at her disbelief? Until she hears a loud clap from one person. It was Sana. After that, everyone just look like they snap out of their minds and start clapping as well. The applauses were so loud, they even start cheering loudly. It’s the loudest claps and cheers she hears today. Even her club members and seniors look so surprised and smile brightly at her.

After Momo leaves the stage, one of her seniors, the MC, close the event. She said that everyone is so good and talented, but Momo really owned the stage. Everyone’s agree, even the new members. They don’t look at her with envious, but at respects and admires. Momo can’t believe what just happened. She looks around bewildered. She didn’t expect this.

The crowd starts to gather around Momo. Congratulating her, praising her, and cheering for her. Even her seniors said that she’s better than them. Momo doesn’t know what to say, everything is too much for her. She smiles brightly and thank everyone. But Momo keeps on looking for one person. Among the crowd, she’s searching for her. The person who gave her courage, the only person who can calm her down.

Then, she finds her. Sana looks like she’s searching for her too. She runs toward Sana within the crowd, passing everyone in her way. Then, when Sana looks at her too, they hug each other tighly. Sana keeps on praising her, saying that she did so well, she's amazing, and she’s the best. Momo just laughs so happily. She doesn’t care if everyone’s watching. She just so happy that Sana’s here with her.

She also tries to ignore the weird feeling in her stomach when Sana wraps her arms around her.


	2. Part Two

The day after the performance, Everyone kept on talking about Momo’s dance. When she walked through the hallway, people stared at her. After Sana and Momo’s hug, everyone thought they were dating, but not long they realised they were just really close friends. They approached her when she ate in the school cafetaria, praising her or just talking to her. She didn’t even know them all. It was just her third day of high school and all of a sudden she became a star here.

Momo doesn’t really care about the popularity, but she’s happy that everyone loved her performance. Momo’s a person who lacks confidence and always doubting herself, so seeing people clapped their hands and cheered for her after her performance, she felt really alive and actually believed in herself for once.

But really, she didn’t need all the attention she received. At first, they just approached her and talk to her, introducing themselves. But then, they started asking for her numbers, asked her out, and giving her letters. It didn’t make sense to Momo. Like, how can you even like someone you don’t know well? And to make it worse, all their friends are endlessly teasing her about it. She needed to shove her foods or everything she had into Sana’s, Nayeon’s, and Jeongyeon’s mouth to shut them up.

.

A month has passed. Things have been calming down for Momo, even though sometimes there are still people who flirt with her. She’s becoming one of the most active members in her club. The members ask her to do collabs, to teach them some moves, and do covers with them. Even though it sounds tiring, it doesn’t put pressure on her. The club members are so carefree, so she just goes with flow and take it easy.

It’s lunchtime. The cafetaria is crowded so Momo and her friends decide to eat on the school rooftop. Their circle is bigger now that Tzuyu, Chaeyoung, and Dahyun join the group. Sana and the others have been friends with Tzuyu since the vocal group’s first meeting, and it turns out Chaeyoung and Dahyun are Tzuyu’s friends from her class. There are no awkwardness between them all. It’s only been a month since school has started, but everyone gets along really well.

“Momo, my friend asked me for your number. Can I give it to her?” Dahyun asks after she finishes her food. She puts her chopstick down and cleans her mouth with tissue. Momo raises her eyebrows.

“Do I know her?” Dahyun shakes her head. “Then, don’t.” Momo keeps on munching on her food. Jihyo cleans the rice on her mouth and Momo smiles childishly at her.

Jihyo smiles back. Only her close friends can see Momo’s childish side like this. “It was nice of you asking Momo first, Dahyun. Nayeon just gave her number to some senior for free foods.” She glares at Nayeon coldly. Nayeon just stare at Jihyo in disbelief, it was supposed to be a secret.

Momo’s jaw drops before she starts chasing Nayeon. “IM NAYEON I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Nayeon runs as fast she can, until Momo catches her and they wrestle. The others just laugh at them.

To get her revenge, Momo steals Nayeon’s phone away when they’re wrestling. Nayeon becomes panic and chases her to get her phone back. Momo starts unlocking her phone and sees lots of missed calls. Before she can see who it is, Nayeon snatches her phone away and sticks out her tongue at Momo. Momo returns the act and they sit down again.

“Thanks for another peaceful lunch, guys.” Tzuyu says sarcastically while drinking her juice. Sana, Momo, and Nayeon, hearing this, surround her.

“Aw, come on. We know you love us.” Sana says seductively, caressing her chin. Momo and Nayeon just keep on kissing her and Tzuyu just whines, screaming for help. Everyone else, already used to the scene, ignore them. Mina prays for Tzuyu’s safety.

It’s just another day for them.

.

Son Chaeyoung is in the library, as she has always been when she’s bored. It’s afterschool and there’s no club activities today. Momo and Dahyun just hang out in the clubroom, dancing to some random musics with the other members. It’s too noisy in there so Chaeyoung just left the room and goes to the library. It’s not like she doesn’t want to be there, it’s just Chaeyoung is in the mood for silent. Besides, Chaeyoung is in progress of writing a song, so she needs a quiet place.

Writing songs is her hobby, next to drawing. It’s not like she wants to publish it or anything, she just likes writing some of her feelings into a song. No one knows about this because she’s too embarrassed about it. And there was one time in her elementary school days that some boy mocked her for her drawing. It’s just a memory now but it really broke her heart, even now.

Chaeyoung is so focused she doesn’t realise she’s got a company. She turns to her right because she hears a breathing. Her eyes widen and she yelps in surprise to see Mina sitting next to her, looking at her curiously.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to surprise you. I called on you earlier but you didn’t hear me, so I just sit next to you.” Mina softly smiles. Chaeyoung can hear her heart’s beating, afraid Mina can hear it too.

“N-no, sorry for not noticing you earlier.” Mina just keeps on smiling at her, her sweet gummy smile, saying that it’s okay.

Besides her hobby, she has one more secret. But unlike the other ones, this secret is known by Dahyun and Tzuyu. She has a major crush on Myoui Mina. Ever since their introductions, Chaeyoung was so mesmerized by Mina’s beauty. Her voice was music to her ears, her gummy smile was such a sight to her eyes. After seeing Mina performed, Chaeyoung’s heart couldn’t stop beating like crazy. She couldn’t even think straight and couldn’t take her eyes off her. Now that they are closer, she finds herself more attracted to the Japanese girl. She looks quiet and doesn’t talk much, but there are times when Mina is too panic she screams, laughs louder than giggles, and scolds the others when they’re too noisy. She finds these sides of Mina cute too. She likes her even more that Mina’s not as flawless as everyone thought.

“Homework?” Mina points at her book. Chaeyoung quickly closes it, hiding it with her hands. Not Mina. Mina can’t see all of these.

“Y-yeah, something like that.” She needs to distract Mina’s attention from her book. But like the world hates her, one piece of paper just falls from her book onto the floor. Mina picks it up and see it.

It’s Chaeyoung’s drawing.

Mina stares at her drawing for a while. Chaeyoung's panicking, but before she can take it away from Mina's hand and tears it, she hears Mina speaks,

"Wow, Chaeyoung, I didn't know you are so good at drawing." She keeps staring at the picture, amazed. Chaeyoung raises her eyebrows. She doesn't think she hears it right.

"Are you serious? " This time, Mina looks at her.

"Of course! You have such a unique syle! I like it." Mina continues on praising her. There is no joke on her words. No mockery. It's genuine. It's sincere.

"Do you have other ones? Can I see it?" Mina looks excited. Like she really wants to see Chaeyoung's drawings. Like she's really interested in Chaeyoung.

Hesitantly, Chaeyoung gives Mina her book. Mina's surprised at how many drawings and songs Chaeyoung has made. She looks and stare at each of Charyoung's creations. She's so serious like she wants to understand every dot of ink on the paper.

Chaeyoung stares at Mina. She can't believe at the reaction she gets. Mina's praising her arts. Praising her. And it doesn't feel fake at all. Every words come out from her mouth feel real. Chaeyoung keeps blinking to prevent tears forming in her eyes. It is the first time in a long while someone acknowledge her creation.

"Does anyone know about this?" Mina asks after closing the book and give it to Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung shakes her head. "No, it's embarrassing." She lets out a small smile. "I don't think it's worth to tell either. I mean, I don't want to hear their laughter after seeing all of this."

Mina furrows her eyebrows. She leans closer and holds Chaeyoung's hands. It takes Chaeyoung by surprise. Mina is staring at her intently and Chaeyoung thinks she can't breath normally.

"They won't. I'm sure they all will like it. When I said your drawings are good and your songs are beautiful, I'm not kidding. You have the talent, Chaeyoung. And I think it's a waste to keep it to yourself.

Mina's reassuring smile warms Chaeyoung's heart. She just nods, doesn't know what else to reply. After letting go of Chaeyoung's hands, Mina asks if she can see her book again. There's one song she says she liked and she wants to see the lyrics again. Chaeyoung gives the book to her again.

While Mina's looking at the book, Chaeyoung keeps on staring at her.

She doesn't have a crush on Myoui Mina.

She falls in love with her.

.

Momo can’t fall asleep. She is hungry and her stomach is growling. She looks at the bed next to hers to find Sana’s sleeping peacefully. Momo gets out of the bed and stare at the figure. Sana is so cute when she’s asleep. Heck, Sana is cute at whatever she’s doing. She looks at her face and her eyes stay on Sana’s cute pair of lips. She doesn’t know how long she has been staring at it. She shakes her head and slaps her cheek.

_‘If you’re hungry, you should be looking for foods, not staring at your best friend’s lips. Idiot Momo.’_

So she slowly gets out of their room and walks into the kitchen, hoping there are some foods left.

.

It turns out there are no foods left in all the trays. They all are clean. Momo whines. She can’t wait for tomorrow, she needs to eat now. She doesn’t want to do this, but she opens the fridge. She’s searching for foods that don’t need to be cooked. The God of Cuisine must have heard her prayer, because she finds her favourite, delicious avocado on one corner. Feeling a little bit guilty, she takes it out and close the fridge. She promises she will buy a new one tomorrow.

Momo peels the avocado, cuts it and prepare it on a plate. She knows no one’s here, but still she hide behind the counter and eat there. Momo eats in delight. She can’t believe she just sneaks into the kitchen, prepares her own meals, and eats it by herself. She is so talented.

Momo hears someone walks down the stairs and sit on a chair. She’s surprised, but thankfully she closes her own mouth to prevent her from yelping. Who in the hell goes to the cafetaria in the middle of the night? Then she thinks again. Oh, she does.

But she thinks this person is here not because she’s hungry, because she doesn’t move from the chair. Momo can hear a sniff. Is she crying? Then she hears a sound from a phone, like she just presses a button.

_“Nayeon, please come back. I miss you. I’m so sorry, please forgive your mom. It’s been years since you were home and I can’t take it anymore. At least answer my calls and messages."_

Nayeon? Mom? Is that Nayeon sitting on the chair right now? After the voice message ends, Nayeon continues crying. She keeps on sniffing. Momo’s worried about her, she doesn’t realise she drops her spoon which makes a sound when it hits the floor.

Nayeon, hearing the sound, stands from her chair. “Who’s there?” Momo curses herself, she can’t keep on hiding anymore. She comes out from her hiding place, greeting Nayeon awkwardly.

“Momo? What are you doing here? How long have you been here?” Nayeon asks in panic, but then she looks at the plate on Momo’s hand. “You were… eating?” She eyes Momo suspiciously. Momo sighs in defeat.

“I was hungry, okay? And the avocado is tempting me.” Momo pouts. “But I swear I have no intention to eavesdrop.” She puts her plate on the table, hands on the air now like there’s someone pointing a gun at her.

Nayeon’s mouth opens a little, then she asks slowly, “You heard all of that?” Feeling guilty, Momo nods. Nayeon sighs. She knows Momo’s not lying, and she can’t blame her that she hears the voice message. She sits on the chair again, but this time Momo sits next to her.

Momo doesn’t ask Nayeon what does the message means. In fact, she doesn’t say anything at all. She just keeps on eating her avocado until there are no pieces left on the plate. She then holds Nayeon’s hand, her thumb caressing the back of her hand. Nayeon smiles at the act. She has calmed down a little.

“I always wanted to be a singer when I was little.” Nayeon starts. Momo looks at her, waiting for her to continue. “I really love singing, and it would be nice if my career involving that. That’s why I apply for this school when I graduated from elementary school, in hoping on increasing my vocal skill.

“My parents didn’t mind my applying for the school, but my mom didn’t like it that I applied because of the vocal club. She didn’t really approve of my dream on becoming a singer. She said that it’s not worth it and it’s not what I expected it to be, said that there are other things worth dream of.”

Nayeon starts sniffing again, Momo’s grip on her hand tightens.

“She didn’t want me to join the club, so I got really mad and said that I won’t ever come home again.” Nayeon couldn’t stop tears falling out of her eyes now. Momo wipes them with her other hand. “So ever since I entered the middle school, I never come home. On summer or other holidays, I always went to someone else’s house. Jihyo’s, Jeongyeon’s, or whoever it is. But surprisingly, they still pay for the tuition, even know. They even give me pocket money. And well, they also give me calls and messages. I know they're worried about me, and what I did is wrong. But I was just, I don't know.”

“Jihyo and Jeongyeon don’t know about this?” Momo opens her mouth for the first time. Nayeon doesn’t answer the question for a while, until she shakes her head.

The silence fills the room for some time. Nayeon’s about to let go of Momo’s hand and go back to her room, until Momo speaks,

“You know, I had times when I don’t want to dance anymore.” Nayeon looks at her face. Her eyes look somewhat different.

“My sister was entering an audition on becoming a member of an idol group. She was so excited about it. She practiced really hard, I barely even saw her sleep. She passed the first stage. We were so happy the neighbors could hear us cheering. She was so determined and worked so hard, which I really respected from her.” Momo’s eyes are gleaming now. Nayeon could tell she really admires her. She knew that Momo loves dancing because of her sister.

“But unfortunately, she didn’t pass the following stage. She was so depressed she didn’t come out of her room for days. She rarely ate, and even at night I heard her crying. I tried talking to her, knocking on her door, but she didn’t answer me. One day, when she finally came out of her room, she tears all of the awards she had received and threw it in the trashbin. I tried to stop her, but she pushed me away. After that, she told me to give up on dancing. That it was stupid, useless, and I should stop dreaming about it before I get hurt.

“I can’t believe what I had heard. How could someone who had made me pursue my dream, who was my motivation all this time, was the one who put a stop to it? I cried so much, locking myself inside my room that my parents became worried. Sana became worried. At first, I didn’t let her in. She waited in front of my door until night time, until her parents called. She did this everyday. Until one day, I opened the door for her. She held me tight. Assuring me everything’s going to be okay.” Momo smiles lovingly. Nayeon rarely sees this expression of her.

“I told Sana everything. She just nodded and keep on holding me. She said that I should do what I think is right, I should help my sister. She didn’t tell me exactly what I should do, she said that it’s my decision to make, not hers. So days later, after gathering all my courage, I spoke to my sister. We had a long talk, and in the end, she apologized to me. She was crying while doing it. I was crying too. We held each other for a long time. After that, she started dancing again. And I couldn’t be happier.

“I thanked Sana a lot. She said that she didn’t do anything, it was all me and my sister. but I was sure she was wrong. Because of her, I could unlock my door. Because of her, I had the courage to talk to my sister.” Momo ends her story. She was looking at Nayeon now.

“What I want to say is, you need someone. It must have been hard after all this year, bearing the pain alone. What you want to do is yours to decide, but at least share your feelings with someone else.” Momo strokes Nayeon’s hair. “Even though that someone is just sitting next to you, hearing all your stories, and holding you tight, it’s much better than crying alone.”

Nayeon throws her arms around Momo. She was crying so hard. All the pain, all the feelings she kept inside of her blow up. Momo caresses her back. Nayeon didn’t expect it was Momo’s shoulder she cries on. It was the childish, silly Momo who is very sweet and kind, who’s with her tonight, soothing her heart.

“Just come to me if you need that someone, okay?”

Nayeon nods.

.

Momo closes the door to her own room. She hopes Nayeon can sleep tonight. She walks into her best friend’s bed and sits on the corner. She strokes Sana’s hair softly. Telling all her past to Nayeon reminds her of Sana’s kindness. Her sweetness. Her tenderness.

Sana moves, and Momo pulls her hand away. She doesn’t want to wake Sana. But Sana already opens her eyes and looks at her.

“What’s wrong, Momo? Can’t sleep?” She asks softly. She’s still sleepy. Of course, it’s 1 am. But still, she waits for Momo to answer. She shifts a bit, leaving a space. She pats her bed, suggesting Momo to sleep next to her. Momo grins, lays on the space next to Sana.

“Why are you grinning when you can’t sleep?” Sana asks, puzzled. Momo just smiles even wider. She kisses Sana’s forehead and wraps her arms around Sana’s waist.

“Nothing, just remembering the past.” Momo closes her eyes. Sana doesn’t understand, but she’s too sleepy to think about it. So she wraps her arms around Momo too, continuing her sleep.

Momo feels really warm on her chest. But she thinks it was because she’s sleeping with someone, not because of Sana next to her.


	3. Part Three

"We're going to sing."

Everyone stops their activities and turn their heads toward the club president. After getting everyone's attention, she continues,

"Well, not all of us, but whoever wants to participate." All the members are still confused of what she means. Clearing her throat, she explains more. “I don’t think many of you know, but the day after the exams is our school’s anniversary. The principal asked me for the vocal club to sing. He will invite our parents, so I thought you guys want to give it a try.

“I’m thinking of you new members and freshmen to perform. Because your parents will be there! Don’t you want to sing in front of them?” Most don’t like the idea. Performing in front of your parents are embarrassing. All the more it’s after exams, who have the time to practice?

The club president looks at her members awkwardly. “Well, If anyone interested, just tell me.” Then, she ends her announcement.

Nayeon thinks about this deeply. Maybe this is her opportunity to reconcile.

.

"Nope. I'm not participating."

Nayeon whines after hearing Jihyo's answer. She mumbles something, like Jihyo being no fun then turns her head toward Jeongyeon.

"I'm not either. It's after the exams, you know? Who the fuck have the time?" Jeongyeon waves her hand. Nayeon rolls her eyes, since when do her friends care about exams?

"Geez, you two are so damn boring! Sana and Tzuyu, don't you guys want to try?" Nayeon raises her voice, hoping some good answers from the two, but they just shake their heads.

"Nope. As much as I want to impress my mom, I don't think I'm ready to sing in front of a lot of people yet. Besides, I don't want extra classes during summer vacation." Tzuyu says. Nayeon glares at her and pouting, but Tzuyu couldn’t care less. Nayeon then turns at her last hope.

"Sana? Don't you dare tell me you're not participating because of the exams, because you never care about your grades. " Sana awkwardly smiles, she looks at whatever but Nayeon.

"I have to pass this time, Nayeon. I’m not good enough yet to perform, I’m afraid I’ll drag you down.” Nayeon gapes at her. Eyebrows furrowed, staring at Sana in disbelief.

“What are you talking about?! You’re so good, Sana! Don’t talk about yourself like that!” She grabs Sana’s shoulders and starts shaking her.

Sana lets go of Nayeon’s hands, still smiling. “No, I’m serious. I can’t hit high notes well and sometimes I can’t control my breathing either. I even feel bad for the seniors who help me practice.”

The others looking at Sana worried, they haven’t seen Sana looking like this. Most of the club’s activities are practicing their vocals with the seniors and sometimes alumnae, so they often focus on their own. And Sana never said anything about her situation, always putting on a bright smile.

Nayeon wraps her arms around Sana, one hand caressing her hair. "Aw, Sana it's okay. You know you can just ask me if you need help, right? Maybe I can teach you what I know."

Jeongyeon scoffs. "Nayeon you're a great singer and all, but everyone knows you can't teach shit" She says, which earns a hit on the arm from Nayeon. "Ouch. But I have to agree, Sana. If you need help, just ask us. We will help as much as we can."

Sana smiles.

"I will. Thanks guys."

.

"Care to explain why we have to study now, when the exams are in two weeks?" Chaeyoung complains, doodling on her notebook.

All nine of them are in Jihyo and Mina's room now, studying for the exams. Well, only half of them is studying. The rest are just lying around, not planning to touch their books.

Jihyo sighs and puts down her pen. "Come on, Chae. It's not like we’ll do this every night. Isn’t it better if we study little by little rather than staying up overnight? Besides, you’re in your last year of junior high, don’t you think you need to study more seriously?” Chaeyoung rolls her eyes.

“Well, staying up overnight was what I always did and I still passed. And it’s not like I go to other school next year, so there’s no need to be serious.” She shrugs, and continue doodling on her book.

Momo lies down on the floor, not doing anything. “Mi-tan, if you’re not going to play your switch, can I borrow it? I’m bored.” Momo says as she rolls on the floor. All of her stuff are untouched.

Mina flicks Momo’s forehead, which makes Momo yelps in respond. “You can borrow it after you study, Momo. And, no. Don’t look at me with those puppy eyes, I still won’t lend it to you.” She continues to read her book. Momo pouts.

Momo whines, saying she’s bored and doesn’t want to study. Jeongyeon covers her ears, she can’t concentrate like this. “Geez, fine. If you study now, I’ll buy you aloe vera yogurt tomorrow. How’s that?” Hearing this, Momo sits up and smiling widely. She hugs Jeongyeon tightly, while Jeongyeon just pats her head.

“I can’t believe you’re older than me, Momo.” Tzuyu says, but smiles anyway. She watches Chaeyoung still doodling and then watches Mina teaching Jihyo. Then she smirks, she’s got an idea.

“I think Chaeyoung doesn’t want to study because she doesn’t understand the subject. Mina, can you teach her?” Chaeyoung stops doodling. Her eyes widen and mouth opens. She glares at Tzuyu but Tzuyu doesn’t care. Dahyun can’t hold her laughter so she lets out a snort.

.

_After the day in the library, Chaeyoung entered her room with a red face. She was greeted by confused Dahyun and Tzuyu, so she told them. They didn’t look surprised at all. In fact, they just laughed out loud, saying they knew Chaeyoung would fall for Mina and not just crushing on her. Chaeyoung didn’t understand how they knew. Was she that obvious? Nah, maybe they were just too perspective._

_Days later, it turned out everyone already knew, except Mina herself. Even the dense Momo knew. “I may be dumb, but I’m not THAT dumb to not know your feelings for Mina. Hell, you are drooling over her everytime you see her.” Chaeyoung couldn’t believe what she heard._

.

Mina turns her attention from Jihyo to Chaeyoung. “Sure. Which part don’t you understand?” She asks with her soft smile. Beside her, Jihyo smiles at Chaeyoung with a knowing smile.

“No no no no no- I’m good! I’ll just have Tzuyu to teach me! Don’t bother, Mina.” Chaeyoung is so flustered she even stutters. She opens her textbook and points at random page, “Here, Tzuyu how do you solve this?”

Mina looks somewhat disappointed. “Oh. I see.” She then turns to Momo, who’s still stuck on the same question for minutes and helps her.

Dahyun shakes her head, sighing loudly at Chaeyoung. Tzuyu stares at her coldly. “Yeah, Chaeyoung. You just have to count the CHICKENs here.” Tzuyu’s remark makes everyone else (except Mina because she’s too busy teaching Momo) giggles.

.

“Something’s on your mind?” Momo asks as they enter their room. Sana’s about to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth, but she stops.

“What makes you ask that?” She sits on her bed. Momo shrugs.

“Well, you look out of it these days.” Sana looks down. Momo is stupid and dense, but when it comes to Sana, she’s a genius. Well, they are geniuses when it comes to each other. Sana knows Momo will find out if she’s lying, so she doesn’t know what to answer.

“Something to do with the vocal club?”

Sana looks up, raising her eyebrows.

“How did you know? Did anyone tell you?”

“I know you so well, Sa-tan. You know, if you were a subject, I don’t even have to open my eyes to pass it.” Momo smiles proudly. Sana wants to punch her for being so smug, but she can’t help but smile at her.

Sana tells Momo all her worries, what she told to Nayeon and the others earlier. Momo doesn’t say anything, just keeps on listening.

“I already told them that is out of my capability, but the senior kept saying that I could do it.” Sana sighs, massaging her temples. “But no matter how much I practiced at the club, it’s just so hard I couldn't do it well. I want to give up, actually.”

Momo opens her mouth for the first time, “Well, if your seniors said that, then you can, can’t you?” Sana looks up at Momo. “I mean, they believed in you. You just have to practice more. Maybe it’s hard that you frustrated, but I’m sure it’s worth it.”

Sana doesn’t say anything, so Momo continues. “Don’t you guys have a studio here in the dorm? Just practice there at night after dinner. That, if you want to practice more. And I know I won’t be much of a help, but you can always ask me if you need anything.”

Momo is a hardworking person. If she thinks she can’t dance well, she will practice nonstop until she’s satisfied. She even willing to not sleep or eat for that. Sana’s always worried if that happens, but Momo’s will is one of many things Sana loves about her. Hearing the advice is so Momo, Sana smiles.

“You’re right.” Momo grins at her.

She never wants to study for the exams, anyway.

.

Dahyun enters the library. There are more people here than usual because of the exams, but she’s not here for studying. She’s out of fiction books to read, so she’s here to borrow some. After finding what interests her and about to leave, she finds Mina sitting alone on one of the tables.

She approaches Mina who’s reading a book. “You’re alone, Miss?” Mina flinches. She then smiles when she looks up and see Dahyun sitting next to her.

“Geez, you surprise me, Dahyun.” Dahyun grins. “You’re here to read a book too?”

“No, I’m just borrowing it. I’ll read it at the dorm. Why are you alone, Mina?” Dahyun asks. Mina looks unsure of what to answer, so it takes a while before Mina speaks. Dahyun finds this a little weird.

“Actually, I’m alone because I have some things to think about. Will you hear me out?” Mina lowers her voice. Dahyun raises her eyebrows. Does Mina have some problems?

“Of course. In fact, I’ll help you if I can.” Mina smiles at her answer.

“So, the thing is...” Mina starts. “I think Chaeyoung doesn’t like me.” Dahyun’s eyes widen.

“W-what? What makes you think so?” She can’t believe her ears.

Mina sighs. “It’s just- she seemed awkward with me but not with you guys? And I feel like she kept her distance with me. And the other day, she didn’t want me to teach her, did she? She couldn’t get close to me but she’s fine when Sana or Momo or anyone hugged her for a long time.” Mina keeps on talking. Dahyun can see she’s seriously concerned about this. She curses at Chaeyoung for being so stupid.

“Did you say something, Dahyun?” Mina looks up to her. But Dahyun just shakes her head.

“Nope. I didn’t say anything.” Dahyun bites her lip. “Well, it’s no wonder you think that way. But it’s not like she’s dislike you or anything, Mina. I’m sure of that.”

Mina doesn’t seem to believe it. “Really? Then why did she look so uncomfortable being with me?” Dahyun looks away. She can’t tell Mina about Chaeyoung’s feeling for her, that’s Chaeyoung’s job.

“Or did I do something wrong to her? But when I asked her that the other day, she said I didn’t. But now I’m not too sure.” Mina puts her hand on her chin, thinking deeply. She then asks Dahyun, “Dahyun, can you ask her for me?”

“Yeah? O-oh, sure. Yeah, I’ll do that.” Mina smiles in relief. Dahyun knows the answer already, though, but Mina looks so worried she can’t say anything else.

“Thank you so much, I’ll treat you chocolate later.” Dahyun just smiles back. She will definitely scold a certain someone later.

.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! SHE REALLY SAID THAT?!" Chaeyoung is so surprised she doesn't realise she's yelling. Dahyun and Tzuyu cover their ears. Even though they are in their rooms, they wonder if everyone else can hear her too.

“Ouch, shut up! My ears are hurt.” Tzuyu cringes. “And actually if you look from Mina’s point of view, it’s not that weird if she thought that way.”

Chaeyoung looks at Tzuyu in disbelief. “Really?! Damn, I’m so stupid.” Dahyun sighs.

“Yeah, you are. So, what are you going to do? Well, if you want my advice, just confess to her.” Chaeyoung glares at her. Tzuyu seems to approve, though.

“Are you nuts? Of course I can’t. We’ve only been friends for three months, there’s no way my feelings are returned. Besides, I don’t want to ruin our friendhip.” Tzuyu scoffs but Chaeyoung ignores her.

“Then, do you have any idea? Surely you don’t want her to keep thinking you dislike her, right?” Chaeyoung sighs. Dahyun’s right. Is there anything she can do to assure Mina she doesn’t dislike her without confessing?

Tzuyu, being the smartest of them all, just got an idea. “Why don’t you just give her a present? While giving to her, just say that you’re sorry for avoiding her. If she asks why you did, just make up some stories. No one will give out presents to someone they dislike, right?”

Chaeyoung is amazed by her advice. “Presents! Yeah, that’s it! Thanks, Tzuyu!” She shakes Tzuyu’s hands vigorously, which Tzuyu lets go immediately. “But what should I get her? I don’t have that much of money right now.”

Dahyun pats her shouler, “Hey, you’re an artist! Why buy when you can create it yourself? Didn’t you draw on Momo’s tote bag? Just do something similar.”

Chaeyoung smiles widely. She thanks Dahyun and Tzuyu, her wingwomen, and hugs them tightly. They groan in respond.

.

“I’m going to do it now.” Nayeon says. She still sounds too nervous. Still holding her phone, her hand is shaking.

Momo gulps. “Yeah.” She holds Nayeon’s shoulder, reassuring her.

Nayeon messaged Momo earlier, in the middle of the night, when everyone else was sleeping. She wanted Momo to meet her in the cafeteria, and she was glad Momo’s not asleep yet. She said she wanted to call her mom to inform her about the performance, but too afraid of doing it alone. Nayeon was so relieved when Momo came.

After a few minutes, finally she presses the call button. She knew her mom’s still awake at this hour, so she’ll answer it. She can hear her own heartbeat. She’s scared. What if she can’t speak? What if her mom doesn’t want to speak? It’s barely a minute of waiting, but if feels like hours.

Then, she feels a tight hold on her other hand. Momo’s holding her hand. She looks at the girl next to her, and is returned by an encouraging smile. She nods. It’s okay. She’s not alone. Momo’s here with her.

 _“Nayeon?!”_ She can hear her mom’s surprised voice. Nayeon bites her lip. Taking a long breath, she then answers her.

“Y-yeah.” On the other line, she hears sniffs. It sounds like her mom is crying right now. Hearing this, Nayeon feels like crying too, but she holds it in.

 _“What is it, dear? Are you okay? Did something happen to you?”_ Her mom sounds so worried. Tears start swelling up in Nayeon’s eyes now. She lets out a breath to calm down.

“No, Mom. I just- want to tell you something.” Momo is still holding her hand. She can do it. “There’s school anniversary after the exams, and all the parents are invited. I’m going to sing, so I-I hope you’ll come.” She tightens the grip on Momo’s hands that she’s sure it hurts, but Momo doesn’t say anything.

“ _Really?! Of course, honey, I will come! Just tell me the date later!”_ She thought her mom won’t approve, but she was wrong. Her mom sounds so excited, like it’s the best thing that ever happens to her.

“O-okay. Then I’ll hang up now, I have school tomorrow.” Nayeon says. Her heart feels so light right now, like all the weights on her shoulders have been lifted.

“ _Okay, dear. Good night, I love you. I’m so happy hearing your voice.”_ Then she ends the call.

Nayeon turns to Momo and wraps her arms around her. She's crying. She makes Momo’s shirt wet with her tears, but Momo doesn’t seem to care. She holds Nayeon and caresses her back. They stay like that for some time.

Nayeon has never felt this safe in someone’s arms.

.

They are studying together again. This time, they do it in Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s room. When Momo comes back from the toilet, she can see someone’s missing.

“Where’s Sana?” She asks Jeongyeon as she sits next to her. Jeongyeon looks up from her book.

“Oh. she goes to the studio, saying she wants to practice her vocal.” She then returns her attention back to her book. Momo nods. She asks Jihyo how to solve the problem, and works on it.

After helping Momo, Jihyo puts down her pen. “Is she okay, though? She’s been practicing so hard these days, and it’s only few days before the exams. I’ve been wanting to help her, but she said that she wanted to do it herself.” Hearing this, Momo stops writing.

“I know, right?” Nayeon closes her book. She’s been lying on her bed until now. “But she said she wanted to be alone, so all we can do is respect that.” Jihyo looks like she’s still concerned, but she agrees. Jeongyeon pets her head.

Momo closes her books. She puts all of her belongings in her bag and stands up. Jeongyeon looks up at her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m sleepy, I think I’m going to bed now.” Everyone turns to her. Nayeon sits up on the bed.

Jeongyeon furrows her eyebrows. “This early?” Momo nods. She bids them goodbye and leaves the room.

After the door is closed, Jeongyeon asks the others. “Does she? She seems spirited enough earlier.” Mina shakes her head.

“Of course she’s lying. She’s going to see Sana.” The others don’t seem surprised, like they all know.

“They are so close, aren’t they? That’s childhood friends for you.” Chaeyoung says as she writes something on her notebook, stealing glances at Mina.

Nayeon watches the closed door then lies back down on her bed.

.

Sana groans in frustration. Why can’t she hit the notes right? After practicing more, sure, she gets better. But it’s still not enough. She wants to try again, but she’s too upset at herself right now. So, she sits down.

Everyone is studying for exams right now, so the studio is empty. Sana’s thankful for that. She doesn’t want people to hear her. After calming herself for few minutes, she starts to practice again. But then she hears the door opens and stops immediately.

“Hey.” Momo enters the room. “I bring you some water.”

Sana doesn’t expect Momo to come here, because she should be studying with the others. “What are you doing here?”

Momo sits down on one of the couch, opening the bottle of her own drink. After taking a gulp, she speaks. “Just checking on you. Getting better?” She puts Sana’s drink next to her. Sana just glares at her in return.

“Thanks, but I don’t need you to be here. I want to be alone right now, so can you get out?” Sana doesn’t mean to be that rude, but she really doesn’t want Momo to see her right now. She assumes Momo will be upset, but Momo just smirks.

“You can’t handle being alone, Sana. You know that.” Momo softly smiles. Sana tries to argue, but closes her mouth. She drinks her water and puts it down. “I can turn around and even put on my earphone. But I want to stay here, can I?” Momo asks her.

Sana’s eyes become watery. She blinks away the tears. “Okay.” Sana whispers. Like she said, Momo turns around, her back is on Sana and put on her earphone. Sana watches her back then continues with her practice.

After a while, Momo feels hands wrapping around her shoulder from behind. She takes off her earphone. Sana puts her chin on Momo's head.

“Stay with me for tomorrow too?” Sana asks with a small voice above her. Momo smiles.

“Anytime you want.”

.

Jihyo is so happy when Sana asks her for help with the practice tonight. She helps Sana patiently, even though Sana keeps on struggling. After some time, Sana can finally hit the notes. Sana hugs Jihyo and Momo tightly, tears swelling up in her eyes. She thanks them and kisses both of them on the cheek. They are so happy for Sana like it’s their own achievement.

Jihyo cups Sana’s cheeks. “Next time, don’t ever hesitate to ask for help, okay?” Sana nods and kisses Jihyo’s cheek again, earning a soft smile from her. “I’ll sleep now, okay? You two should get going too.” Then, Jihyo leaves the studio.

It’s just the two of them now. Momo traces her fingers on Sana’s hand, and hold it. Sana smiles at her. “Congratulation, Sa-tan.”

The next thing happens, Sana attacks Momo in a big hug that they fall on the carpet. “Thank you soooo much Momorin! I love you so much!” Momo laughs, she hugs Sana back.

“I didn’t do anything, though. You and Jihyo did all the work.”

Sana shakes her head. Still on top of Momo, she says, “Thank you for always be by my side. I can’t do anything without you.” Momo’s eyes soften. Sana doesn’t have to thank the obvious.

“That’s why thank you so so so much!” She’s showering kisses on Momo’s face. Momo tells her to stop, but she keeps giggling and not pushing Sana away. Sana kisses her cheeks. Her forehead. Her nose. Her chin. She kisses the spot near Momo's mouth and stops.

Sana then stares at Momo’s lips. To the spot she hasn’t kissed yet. Momo realizes it too as she stares back at Sana’s lips. Heart beating so fast, but they don’t know whose heart it is. Sana leans down, pressing their foreheads together. They stay like that for a while. Staring at each other, they can feel each other’s breath. Then, Momo closes her eyes. Sana is about to close the gap.

The door opens fiercely and Jihyo enters the room. “Geez, I can’t believe I left my phone here!” Sana quickly pulls herself away from Momo and sits next to her. Jihyo watches the two of them. “O-oh. Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No! We were just- I fell! Yeah, I fell and Momo catches me but lost her balance!” Sana's panicking. Momo sits up, still in the trance. “Right, Momo?”

Momo nods. “Y-yeah! That’s what happened.” Jihyo is not convinced, but she says nothing.

“Oh, really? Well, I’m going to my room now.” Then she leaves the studio again. The room is filled with awkward silence now. No one wants to talk about what happened earlier. Did that really happen? They are not really sure now.

“Shall we go back to our room too?” Momo begins, not looking at Sana. Sana does the same.

“Yeah.”

Neither of them can sleep well that night.


	4. Part Four

"It's finally oveeeeer!" Momo stretches out her hands, her body feels numb for being still for two hours.

She stands up from her chair, hugging Jihyo who approaches her. "Well done, Momo. Did you answer all of the questions?" Jihyo caresses Momo's hair as Momo's head rests on her chest. Momo hums.

"I'm sure I got most of them wrong, but atleast I answered them all." Jihyo narrows her eyes. "-But I'm sure I will pass! I even wrote my name in English! Maybe the teacher will give me a point!"

Jihyo chuckles. "Yeah, yeah, you tried your best. There are still no club activities, so what are you going to do now?"

Before Momo can answer, they hear Nayeon calls out to her. "Momo! Come on!" She's already standing in front of the classroom door, bag in hand, preparing to leave.

Momo unwraps her arms from Jihyo and picks up her bag. "Actually, I'm going to hang out with Nayeon today." After she bids Jihyo goodbye, Momo walks towards Nayeon and links her arms with her.

Jihyo watches them out of the classroom, then turns to Sana who is watching them with curiousity on her face.

.

"What do you think?" Nayeon asks Momo after she finishes the song.

They are in Nayeon's room now. Nayeon has asked Momo to hear her practice for the school anniversary party tomorrow, and Momo was more than happy to do so.

Momo stands up from the bed, clapping her hands loudly. "Damn Nayeon, I know your voice is beautiful but- that was so amazing I get goosebumps all over my body!" Momo is smiling so widely complimenting her.

Nayeon blushes. She pushes Momo, making the latter falls on the bed. "You're exaggerating! But thanks, though, I'm really nervous."

"You're going to be fine. I'm sure your mother will be so proud of you." Momo sits up on the bed and holds her hand. It's so gentle, Nayeon’s heart feels warm.

"Yeah, I hope so."

.

Mina knocks on Chaeyoung's door and waits for answer. Chaeyoung has messaged Mina to meet her after school in her room. Mina was not sure what happened. What does Chaeyoung want, exactly? She must had heard from Dahyun. Mina is kind of scared. What if Chaeyoung really hates her? What if behind that door, Chaeyoung is there with knife on her hand and ready to strike as soon as Mina enters the room? Okay, she played too much horror games and watched too much thriller dramas.

Mina startles when Chaeyoung opens the door. She doesn't realise she takes a step back. Chaeyoung looks at her confused.

"W-what's wrong, Mina? Did I scare you?" asked Chaeyoung cautiosly. Mina eases her breath and lets out an awkward laugh.

"No, no. Sorry, I was just surprised." Chaeyoung is still not sure, but says nothing. She tells Mina to come inside and Mina enters the room hesitantly. Dahyun and Tzuyu are not here. Mina doesn't like the thought of being alone with Chaeyoung. It’s not like she dislikes the girl, on the contrary, Chaeyoung is the one who seems to dislike her. Even now, Mina can see Chaeyoung is trying to hide the fact that she is uncomfortable.

Little does Mina know that Chaeyoung is really, REALLY nervous. She can’t control the beating of her heart, and sweat dripping on her forehead. What if Mina doesn’t like the present? What if Mina ends up hating her? Dahyun and Tzuyu insisted on her giving the present alone, or else there would be no meaning. Chaeyoung wanted to protest, but she knew they were right. She couldn’t keep on relying on them. Atleast she has to do this herself. No more Baby Tiger Chaeyoung, only Grown-up, Big Tiger Chaeyoung now.

“So, what do you want to talk to me about?” Mina’s soft voice snaps Chaeyoung out of her mind. Chaeyoung blinks a few times before turning her head to Mina. Mina’s looking at her, waiting for her answer.

Chaeyoung lets out a long breath she’s been holding. She takes the box of present out from under her bed, and gives it to Mina. Mina stares at the present, then at Chaeyoung, confused. She takes it and Chaeyoung opens her mouth, “It’s for you… think of it as an apology for avoiding you. I don’t hate you at all, Mina. In fact, I like you very much- that goes the same for the others, of course!” She waves her hands in defense. Mina waits for her to continue.

“I didn’t mean to avoid you, it’s just- you’re too great for me? Like, you’re so beautiful and smart and gentle and elegant, while I’m just- a potato. It’s like we’re on totally different level.” Mina doesn’t say anything and Chaeyoung starts to panic. Does she find out that she’s lying? Well, she has to admit that was a lame lie. Chaeyoung tries to open her mouth one more time, but Mina cuts her.

“That’s what you’ve been thinking all this time? Oh my God, Chaeyoung, please don’t. Just treat me as one of your friends, okay? There’s no different level between us!” Mina lets out a sigh of relief. Chaeyoung raises her eyebrows. Whoa, does Mina buy it? “I totally thought you don’t like me, or I did something wrong.” She continues.

Chaeyoung shakes her head vigorously. “No! Of course not! Sorry for making you think like that.” Mina smiles in return. There’s a silence between them. Chaeyoung scratches the back of her neck. “So… we’re good now, right?”

“Of course. Just promise me to not avoid me anymore, okay?” Mina smiles even wider when Chaeyoung nods. She looks at the present once again. “Actually, it’s really kind of you giving me present. Can I open it now?”

It’s actually embarrassing, but how can she say no to Mina now? Chaeyoung lets her and Mina opens the box. It’s a pair of black shoes. There are drawings on the left one, and writings on the right one.

_Love is doing small things with great love._

Mina stares at them and doesn’t say anything for a while. Chaeyoung’s heart is beating like crazy now. Why doesn’t she say anything? Does she not like it? Is it the wrong size? “S-sorry do you not like it? You can return it if you-“ Before she can finish her sentence, Mina holds her hand. Mina’s hand is so soft and Chaeyoung swears her heart stops beating.

It comes out no more than a whisper. “I love it. So much.” Then Mina looks up at Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung loves her beautiful eyes, she wishes she can stare at it forever. “Thank you, Chaeyoungie.” Mina smiles softly. Chaeyoung thinks she just saw an angel.

“You’re welcome.” Chaeyoung returns her smile. Fuck being subtle, she’s going to make Myoui Mina her girl.

.

Nayeon can see her mom from behind the stage. It's been a long time, but she remains the same. Three years of not seeing each other, and now Nayeon will sing in front of her. She'll do something her mom had disapproved of. Something that made them separated.

Momo is right beside her. she came immediately after Nayeon had messaged her to meet her backstage. Nayeon doesn't understand why she needs Momo for emotional support. She's closer to Jihyo and Jeongyeon and they are the ones who know her the best and the longest, but there's something in Momo that Jihyo and Jeongyeon don't have. She doesn't know what it is, but it keeps making her attracted to the Japanese girl.

"Hold my hand." Nayeon said suddenly. She is one of those people who need company and physical touch from others to feel better. But she doesn't expect Momo to hold her hand without even questioning her. Nayeon looks at her surprised.

Momo raises her eyebrows, still holding her hand. "What? Do I do it wrong?” She asks Nayeon. Nayeon smiles and shakes her head. Momo always does what Nayeon asks without questioning her. She always keeps Nayeon company, always comes to her side when she asks. She always does what Nayeon tells her to. Nayeon loves it.

So she wants to test it a bit more. “Hug me.” And she’s right, Momo does. Momo is so warm, Nayeon feels safe. She forgets all the nervousness, all the scary things that might happen. Momo smells so nice. Nayeon hugs her back. She wishes this moment lasts forever.

“You’re such a baby.” Momo pats her back. Nayeon smiles wider on Momo’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. I just know it.” Nayeon pulls away, her smile still on her face.

“Thanks. Wish me luck.” Then the curtains open.

.

Nayeon starts singing. She tries not to look at her mom’s direction, but still, her eyes unconsciously glued on her. Her mom is watching her intently. She can see tears start welling up in her mother’s eyes. This is the first time her mother watches her singing with such a serious expression. And Nayeon doesn’t know if she imagines it, but her mother looks so proud right now.

_I only believed in you_

_I believed in you_

_What do I do? I miss you_

_Only longing grows_

Then it looks like her mother can’t take it anymore, she covers her mouth and starts crying. The other parents who sit beside her are asking her what’s wrong, but her mom keeps on crying. Nayeon’s heart feels so hurt seeing that. She clenches her fist, trying her best not to cry. When the song is finished, everyone claps. Nayeon’s mom looks up at her and clapping her hands loudly, smiling proudly at her with tears still visible.

Nayeon looks back at her, smiling, and finally she lets out the tears she has been holding on.

.

The school principal serves cuisines for everyone in the room. The audience start standing up from their chair, and looking around. But Nayeon’s mother approaches her, saying they have to talk, just the two of them. Nayeon nods. They exit the room and stop at the empty hallway.

“Are you doing well?” Her mother asks. Nayeon stares at the floor, not brave enough to look at her mother in the eyes. But her mother doesn’t mind it one bit, and doesn’t even complain when Nayeon just nods answering her question.

“That’s good.” There’s a silence for a while. Then Nayeon can feel her mom comes closer to her and her breath hitched. “Nayeon, can you look at me now?” Nayeon stays still for a while, but her mother waits for her. Finally she turns up and looks at her mother.

Her mother’s eyes are still wet from the tears. Yet, she remains smiling warmly at her. “I’m sorry for all the things I said to you. All of it. There’s no excuse, the wrong is all on me.” She stops for a while, biting her lip and continues, “It’s no wonder that you ran away from home, not coming back for three years. Your father’s so sad all the time, and that’s my fault too. He really wanted to come here, but too bad he has work to do.” She forces a smile. Nayeon doesn’t say anything, just stares at her mother’s face.

“You have the talent, Nayeon. You really do. I knew you’re so good at singing, I knew you have such a beautiful voice. And I’m so proud of it, even now. I just wanted to tell everyone about how good you are, I wanted to brag to other parents that my daughter’s voice is much more beautiful than their children’s.” This time, she really smiles, not forcing it. Nayeon can’t help but smile too.

Now, her mother’s the one who looks away from her. “But the thought of you being a singer, or an idol, tortured me. I couldn’t stand the fact that you’re going to be away from me for a long time, not when you had that car accident.” Tears start welling up in her eyes again, and Nayon’s breath feels heavy. “In that world, they’ll overwork you. Doesn’t matter if you’re sick, or unwell, you have to put on a smile in front of them. You have to be okay. And I just kept on thinking about your left leg, what if it gets worse? Just earlier when I saw you stumbled a bit when you entered the stage, my heart hurt so much.”

Her mom starts crying. It’s a silent cry, but she’s sobbing so much. Nayeon can feel tears dropping from her own eyes as well. “I knew I hurt you, I ruined your dream. But I couldn’t help it. I was so worried about you, and I thought I was trying to protect you, but no-” She’s sobbing again. “I ended up hurting you and made you leaving me. I’m sorry Nayeon. I’m really sorry.”

Nayeon can’t take it anymore. She holds her mother tightly, making her surprised. “I’m sorry for leaving you, Mom. I’m sorry for not listening and trying to understand you. I’m sorry for ignoring you all this time.” Her mother’s shoulder becomes wet because of her tears. They stay like that for a while, hugging each other tightly and crying together. The hall they’re in is a bit far from the party room, so no one can hear them. They miss each other’s warm too much, they don’t care how long they’ve been clutching together.

Finally her mom pulls away gently, wiping Nayeon’s tears with her thumb. She smiles warmly at her. “You’ve grown so much Nayeon. When you called me that day, I knew you had already overcame your fear. I don’t know what or who helped you, but I was so grateful that day.” Nayeon smiles. She’s so grateful too, for the person who helped her all this time. “And now that you’re stronger and more mature, I believe that you can pursue your dream without problem. Seeing you on stage earlier, I believed that you’re strong enough to overcome any obstacles ahead.” Nayeon can’t believe what she just heard. Her mom has finally approved of her dream. She hugs her mom tightly again, and her mom laughs. Nayeon joins her too. There’s no better day than this.

.

Nayeon wants to come back to the party with her mother to eat, but her mother tells her to go on ahead because she needs to fix her make up. Nayeon giggles. She watches her mother walks to the bathroom with a warmth in her heart.

When she’s walking towards the room, she can see a movement behind the wall. She smiles, knowing who it is.

“Don’t you think it’s kind of rude to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation?” The figure flinches. She slowly comes out from behind the wall, and revealing herself. Momo scrathes the back of her neck, looking away. Nayeon can see a blush on her cheeks.

“I wasn’t evesdropping! I was looking for you and didn’t found you in the room, so I walked through the hallway and found you with your mother. But I swear I didn’t hear anything! I closed my ears with both of my hands while waiting for you to finish.” Momo waves her hands in defense. Nayeon can’t hold her laugh. Momo is just too honest and funny. She’s so pure, so innocent.

Nayeon walks towards Momo and holds her. Momo doesn’t expect that, so it takes a while before she wraps her arms around Nayeon too. It’s weird. She has hugged many people, but hugging Momo is so different. She feels a warmth that no one can offer but Momo.

“Thank you so much for everything.” Nayeon knows Momo is about to interrupt, so she continues, “And don’t say that you didn’t do anything, because even my mom’s grateful to you.” Momo closes her mouth. Nayeon rests her head on Momo’s shoulder, enjoying the moment.

“You’re welcome. I’m really glad it went well.” Nayeon pulls away and sees the smile on Momo’s face. Momo looks so genuinely happy. And she can see Momo’s tearing up. Nayeon had heard from Sana that Momo rarely cries. The last time she cried was when her sister stopped dancing. She rarely cries for herself.

And here she is, tearing up for Nayeon. Smiling so widely for Nayeon. She looks relieved. She looks so happy. Like she’s happy for herself.

Nayeon knows this feeling. She has been feeling it for a while, but she kept on denying it. She actually considered the reason why she needed Momo for emotional support, why Momo made her heart felt so warm, why Momo is different with the others.

She knows why she couldn’t stop thinking about Momo.

Nayeon leans closer and kisses Momo’s forehead. Momo’s eyes widen and Nayeon just smiles at her in return. She takes Momo’s hand on hers and they start walking towards the party room.

She should’ve admitted from the start that she fell in love with Hirai Momo.

.

Sana saw it.

She’s looking for Momo because she hadn’t seen the latter for a while, and finally found her on the hallway. But she’s not alone. She’s with Nayeon, just the two of them. And Sana didn’t know why she kept her distance from them. They’re hugging, and Sana’s heart couldn’t calm down.

_“Why? It’s not like this is the first time they hug each other. I’ve seen it many times already, so why does my heart feel so heavy?”_

And when Nayeon kissed her best friend’s forehead, and looked at her with so much love in her eyes, Sana couldn’t breathe properly. She hated feeling like this. What’s wrong with her? They’re just doing what they always do, and Sana’s always fine with it.

So why did she feel so uneasy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! This chapter's kinda hard to write and with all the news going on around the girls I can't concentrate


	5. Part Five

It’s summer vacation.

Sana was so happy and excited she could see her family again, and spent most of her times with them. Her parents missed her so much too, they had planned on a vacation to Japan with her. She’s squealing when she heard about it. She missed Japan so much, she missed Osaka so much. Even now, when they’re already back in Korea, she still misses it.

When she woke up in her room at the dorm, Momo’s face was always the first thing she saw in the morning. So she can’t really get used to not seeing Momo when she wakes up in her room at her own house. It’s weird, because it’s only months since they entered high school and slept in the same room. She can’t believe herself missing Momo’s presence this much.

Today, she’s alone. Her father has some business to attend to and won’t be back for days, and her mother visits her grandma in Japan. She wanted to go with her mother too, but school days are near, so she couldn’t. Even though it’s still daytime, the sky is kind of dark. The weather forecast said there’s a possibility of big rain and thunder at night. Sana shivers. She really hates thunder and lightning. She’s not sure she can survive tonight.

Sana stares at her phone. Maybe she’ll call someone to keep her company for today, or until her parents are home. The first person on her mind is Momo. Is Momo busy today? Will she disturb her if she calls her now? She doesn’t understand why she’s hesitating. She never cared about disturbing Momo. Ever since they almost kissed at the studio and that day she saw Nayeon and Momo at the party, she’s been thinking about Momo so much, it’s weird.

After a while, she finally pressed the call button. It doesn’t take long until Momo answers her call.

 _“Sana! How are you doing?”_ Sana can hear the excitement on her voice from the other line. She smiles. Just hearing Momo's voice calms her down. Only Momo can do that.

“I’m good. Well, actually not that good, because I’m alone right now. My parents aren’t going to be here for days. Momo, will you sleep over?” Sana says. She doesn’t know why she’s afraid of hearing Momo’s rejection.

 _“Of courseee!! I’m on my way right now! I’ll bring a lot of snacks!”_ She sounds so loud, cheering like a child. Geez, why does she have to be so cute? Momo is the same as always. And here Sana is, acting so nervous and uneasy. She’s thinking too much. She needs to relax.

Sana giggles. “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you!” Then, she ends the call.

.

Momo is so excited. She packs her clothes, snacks, and plushies to her bag. It’s been a while since she last saw Sana, she missed the girl so much. Because Sana went to Japan for vacation, she rarely spent her time with her. She went shopping with Nayeon, ate in different restaurants with Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung, went to a dog café with Tzuyu, watched movies with Jihyo and Dahyun, and played games at Mina’s house, but nothing could replace Sana. She missed doing things with Sana, she missed waking up next to Sana, she missed the smile on Sana’ face, she missed Sana. But she’s not going to admit that to her.

After they almost kissed at the studio, seeing Sana is so different. Her heart felt warmer, and sometimes racing too fast. She couldn’t stop thinking about Sana’s lips. What does it feel like when it touch hers? Momo shakes her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about her best friend like that.

.

Momo messages Sana that she’s arrived already. Sana opens the door, smiling so brightly that Momo’s heart stops beating for a while. Is it because she hasn’t seen Sana in a long time that she’s feeling like this?

“Welcome! I’ve been waiting for you!” She grins. Momo smiles widely in return and enters the house. Sana is wearing an apron, she looks so cute in it.

Momo puts down her bag on the couch. She points at Sana’s apron. “Please don’t tell me you’re cooking.” Sana pouts.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” She pushes Momo who’s giggling now. “I’m getting better now, you know? You’ll like this pasta I’m making for lunch.” Then, she goes back to the kitchen, with Momo following behind her.

When Sana tuns on the stove and continues cooking, she feels a pair of hands on her waist. Momo rests her chin on her shoulder. Sana doesn’t know why she’s blushing so hard right now. She hopes Momo doesn't notice it.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Momo whispers to her ear, before kissing it. Sana’s heart starts racing. Why? Momo is always this clingy to her, so why is she feeling like this now? Before Sana can breathe normally again, Momo lets go of her. Sana’s missing her warmth already. “I’ll be watching TV, okay? Tell me if you need anything.” Then, she leaves Sana.

Sana glares at Momo who’s focusing on the screen right now. How can Momo, of all people, plays with her heart like this?

.

It turns out the pasta is good. Momo can’t even count how many times she asks for more. Sana looks so proud and happy, and Momo pretends not to notice the way Sana smiles at her when she’s eating happily. Momo insists on washing the dishes, because Sana already cooked for both of them, and Sana can’t do anything but complies.

They watch dramas now. They sit comfortably on the couch, with Sana holding Momo close, and Momo rests her head on Sana’s chest. It’s nice, being with Sana like this. Momo is a big fan of cuddling, but cuddling with Sana is always her favorite. Sana smells so nice, she can just fall asleep right now.

Sana seems normal, acting like the usual. Momo feels stupid for thinking too much. It’s not like their relationship’s going to be any different. No matter what happens, Sana always be Momo’s best friend, and Momo always be Sana’s best friend. She’s not going to let anything change that.

.

They order take out for dinner, and it starts raining after they finish it. At first, it’s just a small rain, but not long after, it becomes bigger. They even have to speak louder because of the rain. After the drama ends at the final episode, they turn off the TV and go to Sana’s room, immediately lie down on the bed.

Sana wants to ask Momo about what happened between her and Nayeon, but before she opens her mouth, she hears a loud thunder from outside. They’re both screaming and close their ears. It’s so big, it causes a blackout. Sana can’t think of anything right now. There’s a big thunder and lightning outside, and it’s pitch black right now. She’s so scared. Her body is trembling and she’s crying.

Momo is scared of a lot of things, and thunder and lightning are no exception. In addition, it’s so dark right now because of the blackout. She tries to open her eyes, and looks at Sana. She can see Sana’ trembling so much right now, and she can hear her sobs. Momo grits her teeth. Sana was always protecting her when she’s scared of something. Now, seeing Sana like this, hurts her heart so much. She looks so small and vulnerable.

Momo yelps in surprise when there’s another thunder roars, and Sana screams again. Slowly, Momo takes her hands off her ears, and wraps them around Sana’s shoulders. At least she has to be strong for Sana this time. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Sana flinches a bit when Momo holds her, and Momo pulls her closer, rubbing her back. Momo kisses Sana’s forehead.

“I-it’s okay. I’m here- it’s okay.” She sounds scared herself, but she tries so hard not to. She keeps on rubbing Sana’s back, whispering encouraging words to her. She kisses Sana’s tears away, and she can feel Sana calms down a little.

Another thunder roars, and they both scream again. But this time, Sana doesn’t cry as much as earlier. She whimpers against Momo’s neck, and Momo can feel Sana’s hot breath. Her heart starts beating so fast, and it’s not because of the thunder. One of Sana’s leg is wrapping around her waist now. She looks down to Sana’s face. Even when her face are full of tears, she’s still so beautiful. She wipes the tears on her face, stares at her beautiful eyes. Sana stares back. Momo cups her cheeks, leaning closer until their foreheads touch. She doesn’t know and is not sure of what she’s doing, but she leans even closer until there’s no space between them and presses their lips together.

Sana’s lips are so soft, they feel so nice. Sana sighs to the kiss, and wraps her arms around Momo’s neck. There’s another thunder roaring, but they don’t care. The only thing Momo hears right now are the sound of her and Sana’s heart beating. They pull away because the need of air, but Momo immediately presses their lips together again. Sana flinches at first, but melts right away. This is their first kiss, but it’s like they have done it before. Sana’s lips on hers feel so right, and her body feels so warm.

Sana pulls away, and resting her face on Momo’s neck. She kisses her there, sending shivers through Momo’s body. The rain seems to calm down a bit outside. They don’t know how long they’ve been kissing. It might've just be a minute or more, but it felt forever.

“Thank you.” Sana whispers before closing her eyes. Momo kisses the top of her head in return. After a few minutes, she can feel Sana’s sleeping. Momo closes her eyes as well and before she knows it, sleep comes to her.

.

Momo wakes up with the spot next to her empty. She can hear noises from kitchen, assuming it’s Sana preparing for breakfast. Momo sighs. Her face is warm remembering the event last night. Sana and her kissed. On the lips. She’s not sure of what becoming of them now.

She walks downstairs and finding Sana placing the plates on the table. Sana, noticing Momo’s presence, smiles widely.

“Good morning! Breakfast is ready!” Momo raises her eyebrows. Sana acts like nothing happened last night. Is kissing between best friends nothing, after all? Doesn’t want to make things awkward between them, Momo nods at her and trying not to think about the kiss.

Sana never mentions about the kiss that day, and the day after that, even until the school starts. Momo’s not sure what to feel about this. Something in her wants to talk about it with Sana, but she doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable because of it.

Momo decides to just let it go. It doesn’t matter actually what they do, as long as Sana is by her side, that’s enough for her. Besides, Sana’s always been leading her on anything, and Momo’s always following behind. This time is no different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this is shorter than the others, because it's only about samo!  
> 


	6. Part Six

Sana acts like nothing happened when in fact, she’s always been thinking about the kiss. She pretends to be normal around Momo, when in fact her heart’s beating fast when the girl is near. She tries not to stare at her best friend too much, tries to ignore the butterflies on her stomach.

She still can’t believe they kissed on the lips. And she sure can’t believe it felt _too_ good. She loved having Momo’s lips on hers. And the way Momo protected her when she was scared herself, making her longing for the girl’s embrace more. This is something new, she’s never felt like this before. She’s scared if she talked about it with Momo, everything would be awkward for both of them and their relationship would never be the same. So, she kept her mouth shut.

But still, she can't keep this to herself. She'll go nuts. Sana wants to talk about it to someone, but who?

Class is over now, and Sana is still sitting on her chair. Momo sits in front of Jengyeon, they are arguing something Sana knows is stupid. Nayeon annoys Mina who's busy playing game on her phone now. Sana looks to her right, and finds Jihyo who just finishes a call. Sana approaches her.

Jihyo looks up, realising Sana who stands in front of her desk.

"What is it, Sana?" Sana bites her lip, unsure of what to say. Jihyo tilts her head.

Sana sighs. "Can I talk to you about something? Just the two of us?" Jihyo finds it weird, for Sana being like this. She stares at the girl, then at Momo.

When her eyes are on Sana again, Jihyo nods. "Sure. Is rooftop good?" Sana smiles, relieved. She's glad Jihyo agrees right away.

Momo sees her and Jihyo going out of class. "Sana, where are you going?" Sana turns her head to her best friend, giving her a small smile.

"I want to talk to Jihyo about something. Just go on ahead, okay?" She waves her goodbye and Momo returns it. Actually, Momo wants to go to the dorm with her best friend, but she shakes the thought. She can do that anytime, anyway.

.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jihyo asks. Thank God the rooftop is empty right now, there's no one but the two of them. Sana stares down at her hands, doesn't know where to start. Jihyo waits for her and finally Sana looks up.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone?" Jihyo nods. Then, Sana tells her everything. From the time when they almost kissed at the studio, until the time they kissed during thunderstorm. And what she’s feeling this whole time. She leaves the part when she felt uneasy about Nayeon and Momo at the party, though, because Jihyo is Nayeon's best friend and it doesn't feel right telling her that.

Jihyo looks kind of surprised hearing all this, but doesn't say anything.

"I-I don't know what I'm feeling right now. It's like- I can't see her the same way anymore. I'm scared I'll ruin everything we’ve had." Sana's voice is shaking now. Jihyo grabs her hand, her thumb rubbing the back of Sana’s hand. Sana tightens the grip.

Jihyo smiles at Sana softly. “Calm down, Sana, it’s okay. You’re not going to ruin anything.” She waits for a while until Sana calms down, and continues. “Sana, I really don’t want to assume anything. But isn’t what you’re feeling, you know, love?” Sana’s eyes widen. She looks at Jihyo surprised.

“Love? What do you mean?” She blinks a few times and lets go of Jihyo’s hand. “Are you saying that I’m in love with Momo? Jihyo, I hope you’re kidding.” Jihyo shakes her head.

“Sana, I’d never joke about this kind of thing.” Jihyo’s face looks so serious, Sana almost believes she really is not kidding. “Actually, I’ve thought about this for a while, all the more after I interrupted you guys at the studio. The way you guys treat each other, stare at each other, are not what friends normally do. And most importantly, friends don’t kiss each other on the lips, Sana.”

Sana shakes her head, denying all the words Jihyo said. “No, Jihyo. It’s just because we’ve known each other for a long time that we’re like that. There’s no one who’s closer to me than Momo.” Sana sounds kind of desperate. It’s like she hates the idea of her being in love with her best friend. She’s not even considering it and immediately rejects it. “I’m not in love with her. You just look at it in the wrong way.”

Jihyo furrows her eyebrow. She doesn’t expect Sana to deny it so bad. She sighs, fixing her hair. “Okay, if you say so. In the end, it’s your feelings and you’re the only one who can decide that.” She looks at Sana in the eyes. “Just… don’t let it stresses you, okay? And if you feel uneasy around Momo or anything like that, talk about it with her, what you just told me.”

Sana’s breath calms down. “Yeah, sorry for getting so worked up. I didn’t mean to be like that to you.” She smiles a little, “Thank you for listening, Jihyo.”

Jihyo smiles back. She really hopes Sana can handle whatever she’s feeling. And she hopes Sana won’t do anything weird about it.

.

Chaeyoung always finds herself looking at Mina, even if she tries not to. So, when Mina stumbles a bit when she dances, or limping when she walks, Chaeyoung realises it immediately.

They are practicing right now for the dance competition which is held next two month. It’s a one-day competition, so after all the participants perform, they’ll announce the winner on the same day. Momo wanted to enter it with Mina, Chaeyoung, and Dahyun. And they’re more than happy to be on the same team. Momo is a pro already, and Mina is so good. Dahyun and Chaeyoung are improving so much too, so they’re aiming for the first prize.

After they finish one part, they decide to take a short break. Chaeyoung approaches Mina who seems to be struggling a bit to sit down.

“You okay? You seem like having a bit of trouble there.” She gives Mina a bottle of water and points at her foot. Mina thanks her. She forces a smile and places a hand on her knee.

“I had a bit of an accident during summer vacation, so my knee is kind of injured.” Mina sees the worried expression plastered on Chaeyoung’s face. “But it’s okay, though! My dad has treated it and it’s not as hurt as before. I can still practice. It’s just a little bit hurt sometimes.” She smiles to reassure Chaeyoung she’s okay, but Chaeyoung is still worried.

Chaeyoung rubs Mina’s back gently. “Don’t ever force yourself, okay? You can always tell us if you want to rest more. I’m sure Dahyun and Momo won’t mind too.” Mina smiles softly and nods.

Before they stand up to continue their practice, an alumna approaches them. She comes to watch their club activites sometimes, and Chaeyoung doesn’t really like her. She acts like she’s the best dancer and if someone doesn’t do well, the words she says are always harsh.

“You’re Myoui Mina, right? Are you fucking serious about this?” The alumna crosses her hands. Mina raises her eyebrows, doesn’t expect to hear this. Everyone else turns their heads.

“I’m sorry?” Mina asks, confused. The alumna sighs, and Chaeyoung hates her expression.

“Your moves are so damn stiff, and you make mistakes a few times. Aren’t you slacking too much?” Mina looks down, can’t answer anything. Momo and Dahyun approach them. “If you don’t give a fuck about this, you can just quit. Do you realise that you’re dragging your team down?”

Mina slowly speaks, trying to hold back her tears. “I’m sorry.” The alumna looks away, sighing again.

“Excuse me, but-“ Momo is about to interrupt, but the alumna waves her hand, cutting her.

“I’m not done yet. And I’m talking to Myoui, not to you, Hirai.” Momo can’t help but closes her mouth. “I have high hope for your team, but if you’re going to be shitty like this-“

“Fuck off.”

Chaeyoung stands up, facing the alumna. The alumna turns her head to Chaeyoung, eyebrows furrowed. Everyone else is also surprised.

“Sorry? Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, fuck off. Your critics are not needed here.” The alumna walks closer to Chaeyoung, but Chaeyoung stands still.

She looks down, snorts at their height gap. “Do you know who I am? Many companies offer me to work for them because of my skill, and you say my critics are not needed?” Chaeyoung scoffs.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but a good critic is the one that can improve someone, not dragging them down. Especially, not in front of other people.” The alumna grits her teeth and Chaeyoung continues, “Poor those companies, they don’t know you are uneducated and have such a shitty attitude.” Everyone gasps at her words.

The alumna’s face heated up, and she shoves Chaeyoung so hard that Chaeyoung falls, her back hits the wall. Chaeyoung groans in pain. Dahyun tries to help her.

“Now you’ve done it.” She escapes Dahyun’s grip on her and attacks the alumna. They start hitting each other, pulling each other’s hair, and screaming cursed words.

Everyone else try to hold them, and the club president calls their club’s advisor. After the teacher comes, they’re dragged to the principal office.

Mina can’t believe what just happened. She sits still on the floor, staring blankly at the room. Momo and Dahyun walk towards her.

“Mina, are you okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t defend you earlier.” Dahyun says, she sits next to Mina. Momo joins her. Mina shakes her head.

“It’s okay. That alumna is right, though, I’ve made mistakes during practice nowadays.” She holds Dahyun’s hand, but Dahyun still feels guilty. “More importantly, is Chaeyoung going to be okay? She gets into trouble because of me, I feel so bad.” She’s really worried. What if Chaeyoung gets punished because of this?

Dahyun smiles, reassuring her. “Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine. Probably she’ll be suspended for days, but she did worse last year.” Mina raises her eyebrows. “A teacher called our classmate dumb and hit her hard on the head for punishment, then Chaeyoung slapped the teacher on the cheek, saying ‘Oh sorry, a mosquito.’” Momo and Mina can’t help but laugh. “So, she’s suspended for two weeks and cleaned the school bathrooms for punishment.”

“Damn, she sure is amazing. If Dahyun says so, then she’s going to be fine, Mina.” Momo wipes the tears from laughing too much. “By the way, if you’re unwell, you can just rest, you know? You can just join us again when you’re in a good shape.” Mina turns her head to Momo, and Momo smiles softly. Dahyun nods.

Mina smiles at both of them. “Okay. Thank you, guys.” She has to thank Chaeyoung later, too.

.

Club activities for today are over, but Sana can’t help but think about what Jihyo said yesterday.

_‘I’m not in love with her, aren’t I?’_

She can’t stand the thought of it. No, she’s not. Maybe because she just had her first kiss that she’s feeling like this, and it just turned out to be her best friend, Momo, who she shared it with. That’s right. It didn’t matter who, actually. The kiss is the reason why.

_“Friends don’t kiss each other on the lips, Sana.”_

Jihyo’s words are echoing in her head. No. She shakes the thought. They’re just carried away by the situation, nothing more. There’s a possibility she’d do that too if someone else held her close like that. Yeah, that’s it.

Besides, Sana knows Momo would never think about her that way. So why try to ruin their friendship and make everything weird between them?

Maybe she needs distraction, so she won’t think about Momo like that anymore. But what should she do? Spend time with anyone more than she does with Momo?

Or, maybe, get a girlfriend?

“Sana, do you want to accompany me to that famous café this Sunday? My treat.”

Park Sooyoung approaches her, grinning. She has been asking Sana out few times before, but Sana always kindly rejected her. She’s always spent her time with Momo on weekend. Sana knew Sooyoung is interested in her since the beginning of school year, but Sana doesn’t like her that way. Sooyoung never gave up, though. Sana thinks maybe this is what she needs right now. A distraction.

“Sure.”

.

Mina knocks on Chaeyoung’s door. She hears Dahyun says “Come in.” from the other side. She enters the room, and greeted by the other three.

“Mina? What is it?” Chaeyoung puts down her pen. She’s doing some paper work, with Dahyun and Tzuyu by her side. Tzuyu and Dahyun grin at each other.

Tzuyu links her arm with Dahyun’s. “Hey Dahyun, aren’t we supposed to meet Jeongyeon tonight? Maybe she’s already waiting for us.” She winks at the girl.

Dahyun catches the sign. “Oh yeah, you’re right! I almost forget about it. Sorry Mina, gotta go now.” Mina nods, that’s kinda weird. Chaeyoung curses at them silently. They mouth a goodluck to Chaeyoung, and exit the room.

“What are you doing?” Mina walks towards Chaeyoung. There are a lot of papers and textbooks. Most of the papers are empty, only one is half written.

Chaeyoung looks at her table. “Oh, this? Just the punishment. In exchange for being banned from going to school for one week, they gave me homeworks.” Mina looks down, she feels so guilty. Chaeyoung realises this. “Hey, don’t worry! They know that bitch is at fault too, so she’s banned from entering the school from now on.” She tries to smile, but that doesn’t change Mina’s expression.

“I’m really sorry, Chaeyoung. It’s all my fault.” Chaeyoung traces her fingers around Mina’s and intertwines them together.

“No, it’s not. It’s all my doings. And I really don’t want you to take her words seriously, because there’s no way that you’re dragging us down.” She pinches Mina’s cheek with her other hand, earning a soft yelp from the girl. Chaeyoung giggles. “The fact that you forced yourself to practice in spite of the pain you’re feeling, proves that you’re serious about this.”

Mina’s heart softens. She knows Chaeyoung will scold her again if she tries to argue, so she just smiles. “Thank you so much, Chaeyoung.” Chaeyoung smiles widely, Mina can see her dimples. It’s cute. “You know, you were really cool back there.”

Chaeyoung blushes. She laughs awkwardly, hoping Mina won’t see it. “Haha, you think so? Thanks, I guess?” Mina giggles.

“In exchange for what you did, maybe I can help you with your homeworks afterschool. What do you think?”

Chaeyoung gulps. That means she will be alone with Mina everyday. This is her chance to get closer to her.

Still not letting go of her hand, Chaeyoung tries not to stutter. “Y-yeah, that would be nice. Then, I’m in your care!” She hopes Dahyun and Tzuyu won’t tease her too much.

.

Sana is dating now, with a girl Momo barely knows named Park Sooyoung.

And Momo doesn’t like her already.

She’s okay, actually. She once praised Momo for her dancing, and she said she’s excited for the competition next month. She’s a really beautiful girl too, a perfect match for Sana. And it’s not like she takes Sana away from Momo. Momo still gets to spend her time with Sana, although not as much as she used to. But it’s not that much of a problem.

What Momo doesn’t like are they way Sana and Sooyoung hold hands everytime they’re together, wrap their arms around each other, and stare at each other like they are the only human in the world. And Momo especially hates it when Sooyoung comes to their room at night, making Sana turns her attention away from Momo to her girlfriend. Night time is Sana and Momo’s time. Just because she is Sana’s girlfriend, she thinks she can disturb them?

Apparently, she can.

Because she is Sana’s girlfriend.

Sana’s number one priority.

Momo hates it. So much. The thought of her being no longer the one closest to Sana tortures her. Sana is always clingy to all her friends, but this time is different. Because this girl is Sana’s girlfriend. And Momo isn’t. She’s just her _best friend_.

She knows Sooyoung is not a bad person. In fact, she’s really kind and caring. Momo knows she likes Sana, and not just playing around. She should be happy for her best friend. So why does she feel like this? Why is she so cruel, hating a person with no reason?

Why does Momo hate her so much, just because she is Sana’s girlfriend?

Her heart feels heavy everytime she sees them together, and she tries so hard to control her breathing. She can’t think properly. She can’t even focus during practice, making everyone worried. She hates herself. This shouldn’t affect her this much. She apologises to her teammates, and excuses herself to the bathroom to wash her face.

On the way there, she sees Sana on the hallway. Her heart feels lighter and she’s about to approach her, she misses Sana so much. Until she realises Sana is not alone. There’s Park Sooyoung, standing so close to Sana.

And they are kissing.

Sana holds her close, and they’re kissing so deeply. They don’t even realise Momo is just a few meters away from them. They are in their own world now, the one Momo can’t and will never be in it. Momo quickly turns away and runs to the bathroom.

She enters one of the bathroom stall, shuts the door loudly, and locks it. She starts wailing. She doesn’t care if there’s someone else. She can’t breathe. It’s so hard to breathe. It hurts so much. Tears won’t stop falling from her eyes. Her eyes will sure be red and swollen from crying later.

They are girlfriends, of course it’s normal to kiss each other on the lips. So why does it hurt so much? Why does she keep thinking about their kiss that night? It was nothing.

It meant nothing to Sana.

She doesn’t know how long she’s been crying, until Mina knocks on the door. She sounds so worried because Momo’s not coming back. Momo opens the door, and Mina gasps. She hugs Momo closely, who can’t stop crying.

.

Momo avoids Sana a lot after that.

Everytime Sana approaches her, she turns away. Everytime Sana tries to hold a conversation, she ends it quickly. And everytime Sana clings to her, she slowly pulls away.

She doesn’t have an appetite. She rarely even sleeps. Most of the time, she just practices at the studio by herself. Everyone asks her what’s wrong, but she just smiles at them, saying she’s okay. Nayeon often offering her company, or invite her to eat, but Momo always declines.

When Momo returns to her room in the middle of the night after practicing, she doesn’t expect Sana to wait for her. She looks away from Sana, and goes to the bathroom to change her clothes.

She’s about to lie on her bed, but Sana grabs her arm.

“What’s wrong with you, Momo? Did something happen?” Momo tries to let go of her arm, but Sana’s grip is too strong. She sighs.

“Nothing’s wrong, Sana.”

Sana’s voice is louder than before. “You’re lying. You haven’t eaten for days, just drinking water. And you often sleep in the studio. You’re avoiding everyone, avoiding me. Just tell me.” Her voice is shaking, like she’s holding back tears. “What happened, Momo? I’m so worried about you. Did I do something wrong?”

Momo lets go of her arm abruptly and she can hear Sana gasps. She turns to Sana, still not looking at her eyes.

“Nothing. I just want to focus on the competition. Don’t act like you know everything about me.” Momo knows Sana’s hurt by this, because she can her Sana sniffs. She bites her lip, and returns to her bed. Not looking back at Sana.

She makes sure Sana doesn't hear her crying.

.

Momo’s body feels so hot, and her head feels heavy. She can’t hear any words during class, can’t even open her eyes fully. She quickly goes to her club because she can see Sana approaching her desk after school.

It’s so hard to dance. Like her body is not working properly. She feels dizzy, she doesn’t even realise her team stop dancing. Momo can see Dahyun is approaching, with one hand reaches out to her.

“Momo, are you okay?”

Then, before she knows it, she passed out.


	7. Part Seven

Sooyoung is a good girlfriend. She cares so much about Sana, treats Sana right, and always gives Sana her attention. To tell the truth, Sana didn’t expect her to be this nice. She thought Sooyoung was just another flirt, just wanted to play around with her. She’s a fun person to be with, too. Sana enjoyed her time with her.

But she couldn’t help but think about Momo all the time they’re together. When Sooyoung wrapped her arms around Sana, she thought about Momo’s arms around her. When she went out to eat with Sooyoung, she couldn’t stop thinking about Momo’s happy face every time she eats. When Sooyoung kissed her, she kept thinking about her first kiss with Momo.

When Sooyoung told her that she loved her, Sana hated herself that she couldn’t answer her and just smiled at her. And she hated herself more that she was thinking about Momo that time.

.

Nayeon is on her way back to the clubroom when she sees a group of people running on the hallway to the infirmary. It looks like they are carrying someone, but Nayeon can’t see much. Curious, she walks towards them to get a better view.

She can see Chaeyoung who is looking so worried, trying to enter the room. Nayeon even has to tap her shoulder a few times before she gets her attention.

“Chaeyoung, what’s wrong? Did someone get hurt?” Chaeyoung turns and finally sees Nayeon. Nayeon can see Mina and Dahyun hear her voice too and turn their heads towards her. So, these people are the members of the dancing club. But where is she?

Chaeyoung hugs her, “Nayeon! Oh my God, Momo passed out.” Nayeon’s heart shrinks hearing this. “We’re in the middle of practice, when suddenly she fell on the floor. Her body is so hot.”

Before Nayeon can ask any question, the club president comes out of the room. “The nurse is treating her right now. We should go back, or else we’re just going to disturb her.” She pats Dahyun’s shoulder. “She will be fine. The nurse said she’s got a high fever. You guys should do what you can for now.” Then, with the other members following her, she walks back to the clubroom.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now.” Mina says, rubbing Dahyun and Chaeyoung’s backs. “But I think the nurse won’t mind for you to come in, Nayeon. I mean, it’s only one person.” Chaeyoung and Dahyun nod, then they leave Nayeon alone.

When Nayeon enters the room, the nurse is looking for the medicine. She allows Nayeon to come in, as long as she keeps quiet. Momo is sleeping now. Her body temperature is still high, and her breath is still uneven. Nayeon sits on the chair next to the bed.

She holds Momo’s hand. It’s hot. Momo moves a little, and Nayeon can hear her mumbling something. She’s afraid she wakes her up, but it turns out she’s just sleep talking.

“…Sana…”

Nayeon bites her lip. Even in her sleep, Momo is still thinking about Sana. Nayeon knows from the start that she doesn’t have a chance.

.

_Nayeon tried to hide her feelings from everyone else, but she should have known better. Jihyo and Jeongyeon found out. She had no other choice than to tell them everything, from her fight with her mom, Momo helping her, and when she realised she had fallen in love with the girl._

_They didn’t expect any of that. At first, they scolded her for not telling them after all these years, but they didn’t seem mad. Nayeon’s heart felt lighter after telling her two best friends._

_“Are you okay, though? I mean, about Momo.” Jihyo asked her. Like Nayeon, Jihyo also felt that the feelings Sana and Momo have for each other are more than friends. Nayeon’s lips formed into a small smile._

_“It’s okay. I know from the start I don’t have any chance with her. That’s why I have no intention to be in a relationship with her.” Jihyo didn’t say anything, but Nayeon knew she felt bad._

_Jeongyeon stared at the both of them. “What makes you think that? What if they really are just friends who happen to be so close?” Jihyo and Nayeon turned their heads to her. “Giving up before trying is not like you at all.” She pointed at Nayeon._

_Nayeon didn’t know if Jeongyeon was just being dense or trying to cheer her up. She smiled, pinched Jeongyeon’s cheek, which earned a groan from the latter. Jihyo smiled as well._

_She really wished it was like that._

_._

“Are you her roommate?” The nurse’s voice snaps Nayeon out of her mind. Still holding Momo’s hand, she shakes her head. “We need to get her back to the dorm. I found the medicine, and she can take it when she wakes up. She needs to eat a lot too, and drink a lot of water.”

Nayeon doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t want to tell Sana about this. It’s selfish, yes, but she wants to be the one to be by Momo’s side when she wakes up. But she knows she can’t do that. So, she calls Sana.

Sana sounds so shocked on the line. She arrives quickly, and Nayeon can see she’s really worried. Tears start forming on her eyes when she sees Momo. Nayeon stands up from her chair and rubs Sana’s shoulder.

“It’s all my fault. I should have kept my eyes on her.” Nayeon caresses her hair. She can’t think of any words to comfort the girl.

.

They laid Momo down on her bed. Sana thanks Nayeon and the school nurse for helping her. She promises to text Nayeon and the others when Momo wakes up.

She sits on the corner of the bed, staring at the sleeping girl beside her. She puts her hand on Momo’s forehead. It’s so hot. Her breath is also hot. Sweats are dropping from her body. Sana can feel her eyes watering again.

It’s all her fault. She should’ve known Momo is sick. She should’ve been with her all this time. She should’ve understood Momo better.

She kisses her forehead. It’s so hot compares to her lips. Momo shifts a little, and Sana pulls away. Momo slowly opens her eyes.

“Sana, is that you?” Her hoarse voice hurts Sana so much. She covers her mouth with her hands, tries not to cry, but fails. Tears are dropping from her eyes and falls on Momo’s cheek. Momo blinks slowly. “What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

“Oh my God, Momo-“ She sniffs. She wipes off the tears. “How are you feeling now? Do you need some water? I’ll bring you right away.” Sana’s about to stand up, but Momo touches her hand, making her stops.

Momo looks at her in the eyes. Her eyes are begging her to stay. “Don’t leave me… please…” She sounds really hopeless. Sana rarely sees this side of Momo. She looks the weakest right now. Sana hates seeing it.

Sana sits back on the bed, holding Momo’s hand tightly. She caresses her cheek with her other hand. “I won’t leave you. But you need to drink water now, so wait for me just a moment, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Momo pouts. “Promise?” Sana smiles.

“Promise.” After a few seconds, Momo nods. Sana kisses her forehead, then exits the room to get a glass of water.

.

Sana helps her drink. When the glass is empty, she puts it on the table near the bed. Momo says she doesn’t like it and want other drinks, but Sana doesn’t allow her. She pouts again.

“Are you hungry right now? Do you want something to eat?” Sana asks, rubbing her back. Momo slowly shakes her head.

“Maybe later. I just want to sleep again.” Sana nods. She lays Momo down, covering her with a blanket.

“I already told our friends, and they wish for you to get well soon. They can’t come here today, though, they’re afraid they’ll disturb your rest.” Momo smiles softly. She tells Sana to say thanks to them, and Sana texts them right away.

Momo wants to tell Sana something on her mind the whole time. “Hey, Sana. I want to say sorry about-“ Momo starts, but Sana stops her.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Just rest for now, okay?” Sana’s smile stops her from speaking more. So Momo lies back down and closes her eyes.

There’s a notification, and it’s from Sooyoung. It says,

_“How’s her condition right now? Text me when you can, okay?”_

Sana stares at the screen, and locks her phone. She’ll answer her later at night.

It’s night already, and Sana feeds Momo when she wakes up. She’s grateful Momo eats, even though it’s just a little. So, she can take her medicine. Sana changes Momo’s clothes after that. She stops for a while and stares at her bare back. She slaps her own cheek. How can she think about things like that when Momo is sick? Momo looks at her confused, but Sana just continues wiping Momo’s upper body with a wet towel. She avoids meeting Momo’s eyes.

After she puts on Momo’s clothes, she lays her down on her bed again, and covers her with a blanket. Sana positions herself next to Momo, and pats her thigh gently.

“Sleep tight, Momorin. I’ll be with you the whole time.” Momo stares at Sana. Her look is so gentle, Sana can’t help but feels soft too.

“No, Sana. You’ll catch my cold. You have to go to school tomorrow.” But Sana shakes her head, she kisses Momo’s hair.

“I’ll be fine. Just go to sleep, okay? Wake me up if you need anything.” Momo is too tired to argue, so she nods. Sana smiles. She kisses Momo’s nose, before saying goodnight.

Momo knows she’s being selfish right now, but she wishes she can stay sick if it means Sana will always be by her side like this.

.

Momo wakes up because of the morning sunlight from her window. She blinks a few times before she can open her eyes properly. She feels better now, even though she still feels a little sick. She feels the warmth on her side is missing, and sees the spot next to her empty.

Oh right, it’s weekdays and Sana have to go to school today. She sighs in disappointment before she hears the bathroom door opens, revealing her best friend.

“Oh, you’re awake already? Are you feeling better now?” Sana greets her with the warmest smile ever. She looks so cute with her glasses. Momo loves it so much, but that’s not the point right now. Why isn’t Sana in school?

Momo points at Sana, who’s wearing a t-shirt and a short. “Why are you still here? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Sana looks away, pouting her lips. “Don’t tell me you caught my cold?”

Sana waves her hands. “No, I’m fine! I just don’t feel like going to school today.” Momo narrows her eyes. She knows Sana is lying. Sana sighs. “Fine, I just don’t want to leave you alone.”

Momo’s heart softens hearing this, but she ignores it. “You don’t have to do that, you know? I just need to rest.” Sana approaches the bed and sits next to her. She runs her fingers through Momo’s hair, making Momo blushes a little at the gesture.

“I want to be with you, can’t I?” Momo gulps. Why is Sana being like this with her when she has a girlfriend? It’s not fair at all. Momo looks away, hoping she can hide the blush on her face.

“D-do what you want. Just don’t blame me if you get sick too.” Sana grins. Momo holds her breath. She’s just too cute. Sana hugs Momo tightly and Momo hugs her back.

Sana lets go and Momo tries not to groan. “I’ll bring you breakfast. Wait here, okay?” Momo smiles and Sana leaves the room.

.

Momo is so cute when she says she doesn’t want to be fed but still lets Sana feeds her. She eats more than yesterday, and her face is not as pale. She still sneezes and her body temperature is still kind of high, but overall, she’s better now.

Sana watches Momo sleeps peacefully after she takes her medicine. Momo is so pretty. Sana thinks she doesn’t say that to her often. She is admiring Momo’s features, when her phone rings.

It’s Sooyoung.

She picks up the phone, and she can hear her girlfriend’s worried tone on the other line.

 _“Why aren’t you in school today? Are you sick?”_ Sooyoung asks. Sana doesn’t know what to answer, she feels like she can’t tell Sooyoung that she just wants to nurse Momo. _“You didn’t answer my message either. Did you catch her cold?”_

Right. She forgot about it. She forgot to text Sooyoung back. She’s too busy worrying about Momo to remember about Sooyoung. It’s weird, because when she’s with Sooyoung, she always thinks about Momo. But she can’t do it with the latter.

“Uh, yeah- I think so.” Sana fakes a cough. Geez, why does she have to lie? She can’t take her words back now.

_“Ouch, do you want me to come over after school?”_

“No, it’s okay. I just need to rest. I’ll be fine in no time.” Sana tries to reassure her, and thankfully her girlfriend believes her.

She sighs. _“If you say so. Just call me if you need anything, okay? Love you.”_ Sana smiles bitterly every time she hears those words.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll see you later.” Then, she ends the call.

She lies down beside Momo and stares at her sleeping face. Why isn’t she saying it back? Why is it so hard to say it? If it was someone else who said it, can she answer them?

If it was Momo, can she answer her?

.

Sooyoung is still worried about her girlfriend. If Sana doesn’t want her to come over, at least she wants to buy Sana something. A pudding or yogurt, maybe? Anything to make the girl feel better.

She approaches Jeongyeon after practice. She asks what would Sana prefer, a pudding or yogurt. Jeongyeon gives her a confused look.

“I know you miss your girlfriend, but Momo is the one who is sick, not her.” Sooyoung furrows her eyebrows. Did Sana not tell her friends that she caught Momo’s cold?

“But Sana doesn’t come to school today. Isn’t she sick as well?” Jeongyeon raises her eyebrows. She chuckles, which makes Sooyoung even more confused.

Jeongyeon waves her hand. “She’s not. She’s taking care of Momo. She told us this morning about it.” Sooyoung needs some time to process. She can’t believe it. But she can’t think of any reason why Jeongyeon would lie.

Did Sana lie to her? If so, why did she do that?

.

Momo wakes up with Sana’s face being so close to her. She holds her breath, trying not to yelp. Sana is sleeping right now, her glasses are still on. Momo takes them off slowly, and puts them on the table. She stares at Sana’s sleeping face lovingly.

_‘Why do you have to be so lovely? Why do you have to be so kind to me?’_

Momo doesn’t expect Sana to answer the questions on her mind. So, she just keeps on staring at her face. It’s weird, but she never gets bored looking at Sana’s face. She loves seeing them even from the time they’re still in elementary school.

Her eyes land on Sana’s pair of lips. She licks her own lips as she remembers the night when they shared their first kiss. They were so soft. Sooyoung is so lucky to have those lips pressing against hers any time she wants.

Momo doesn’t realise she moves closer. They’re just a few inches apart. Momo can feel Sana’s breath against her skin. She brushes their noses together. She’s sleeping right know, so she won’t know, right?

Then, before Momo can close the gap, Sana opens her eyes.

Momo freezes. She can’t think of anything right now. Sana definitely knows what Momo’s up to. Momo’s heart is beating so fast. She knows she has to move away, but her body betrays her.

Sana’s eyes widen at first, but they turn soft after. It’s like they speak to Momo. Momo thinks she imagines it, but it’s like they tell her to _go on_.

Slowly, Momo moves closer until Sana closes her eyes again and finally, she closes the gap.

.

Sana kisses Momo back. Her hands unconsciously reaching for Momo’s cheeks and pulls her closer. She feels Momo wraps her arms around her waist too. They are gasping for air, but they don’t stop. They don’t want to stop. Momo’s lips are still hot, but Sana doesn’t mind. She might catch her cold for real, but she doesn’t care. She misses Momo’s lips on hers so much.

Why does it feel so different from Sooyoung’s lips? Sana likes it when Sooyoung kisses her, but she loves Momo’s lips more. She doesn’t know why, but kissing Momo makes her chest warmer, heart’s beating faster, and she always craves for more. She didn’t feel all those things when Sooyoung kisses her.

Momo licks Sana’s lower lip and Sana moans. Realising the sound she just made, Sana pulls away quickly and covers her mouth with her hand.

Momo looks surprised as well. She’s still panting and stares at Sana, not sure of what happened. Sana looks away. That was so embarrassing, she can’t believe she lets out a moan. Momo moves her hand away from her mouth, and gives her a soft peck.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do that anymore.” Sana can’t take the look on Momo’s face. She presses their lips together again, deeper this time. It takes seconds before Momo kisses back. The kiss takes a while, until they finally pull away.

.

They stare at each other, don’t have the courage to say anything. Sana knows this isn’t right. She shouldn’t kiss her best friend. All the more if she has a girlfriend now. Sooyoung must be so hurt if she knows about it. But she can’t help it. She can’t help herself if Momo's that close to her.

Momo knows it’s wrong too. But she can’t help but feel satisfied. She doesn’t want to tell Sana, but she feels so happy right now. Maybe it’s just another kiss for Sana, but it means so much more for Momo. She knows they probably won’t do it again, but Momo feels lighter now. It doesn't make sense at all, but it’s okay.

At least she can kiss Sana again.

Momo caresses Sana’s hair. She kisses her jaw, making Sana shivers.

“Sleep well, Sa-tan.” She whispers.

.


	8. Part Eight

Momo already got used to the fact that Sana is dating someone. Sure, she still felt something when she saw the two of them together, but it’s not like before. She didn’t cry anymore. She didn’t avoid Sana anymore. They’re back to normal, just like when Sana didn’t have a girlfriend. They hugged, cuddled, spent time together when they’re both free, and gave kisses to each other.

But not on the lips. Because they knew they wouldn’t stop. And that’s not a good thing.

Sana’s relationship with Sooyoung, though, wasn’t going really well. Sooyoung was upset because Sana lied to her, and she was even more upset when Sana didn’t answer her the reason why she lied. And she didn’t like the closeness Sana and Momo shared. She never minds about their friendship, actually. She knew from the start that they’re really close. But she didn’t like that her girlfriend always chose Momo over her, talked about Momo when she’s with her, and especially, when she stared at Momo with _that look._

They came together to the competition Momo and the others were joining. Sooyoung was really impressed by the performance, so was all the audience. But when she looked at Sana, because the girl was too quiet, she realized something. Sana was looking at the black-haired girl who was in the center, with so much love in her eyes. It’s like Momo was the only one matter in the world. And when they announced the winner which was Momo’s team, Sana was rushing to Momo, hugging her tight and showered her with kisses, leaving Sooyoung alone.

“Are you sure you two are just friend?” Sooyoung asked her one time when they ate lunch together. Sana titled her head.

“You mean with Momo? Of course we are! We’re best friends.” Sana answered it casually, but Sooyoung knew she looked away.

Sooyoung decided to just let it go. She felt like Sana would give her the same answer if she asked it again.

.

“Do you guys have any plans for the summer?” Mina asks out of the blue. Everyone else stop their activities and turn their heads towards her.

They are second-year students now, well first-year for Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. A year has passed but the circle hasn’t changed. They are hanging out together in Sana’s and Momo’s room. Some of them are studying for mid-exam.

Jeongyeon put the cloth she uses for cleaning the windows, she mumbles in annoyance to Sana and Momo for not cleaning it often. “Nothing in particular for me. Why do you ask, Mina?”

Mina looks down and plays around with her fingers. “Well, my family has a villa near the beach, and it’s not used by anyone right now. So, my dad told me to tell you guys about it.” All her friends’ faces are filled with excitement now. “Do you want to stay there for days? The nine of us.”

“OF COURSE!!!” Scream all of them. Mina smiles widely, happy that all of her friends can join. Sana and Nayeon hug her. They all say thanks to Mina, and are planning to go to her house for thanking her parents.

They all are so excited about it. They’re even already talking about what to bring, swimsuits to wear, and food to cook there. In the middle of the plan making, Chaeyoung scoots closer to Mina.

“Thank you, Mina. I’m really looking forward to it.” She whispers, which makes Mina flinches because she’s too close.

Mina tries to ignore the thump in her chest. “You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to it too.”

.

“So, you’re going on a trip with all your friends for days? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Sooyoung asks Sana. They are on a date in a café. It’s summer vacation already, but Sooyoung never heard Sana talk about it before. it doesn’t seem like a big deal to Sana, though.

Sana finishes the last piece of her cake. It’s delicious. She will make sure to tell Momo about the place. “Sorry, I think I forgot.” Sana sounds like she’s sorry, but Sooyoung know she isn’t.

“Will Momo be there too?” Sooyoung’s question makes Sana looks at her with eyebrows furrowed. Why does she ask that? And from the tone, it sounds like she doesn’t want Momo to be there.

“Of course she is. Why do you ask?” Realizing the difference in the tone of her voice, Sooyoung sighs. She looks at Sana seriously.

Sana is not sure if she likes what’s Sooyoung about to say. “You love her, don’t you?” It’s Sana’s turn to sigh now.

“How many times do we have to go through this again? I already told you many times, she’s just my best friend-“

Sooyoung cuts her before she finishes her sentence. “Who happens to be the person you love.” Sana rolls her eyes.

“Yes, I love her so much. But only as friends. Geez, Sooyoung will you stop-“

“What happened when you nursed her when she was sick that day?"

This makes Sana stops. Sooyoung stares at her, waiting for an answer. But Sana only looks down. The plate with only crumbs from her cake earlier becomes more interesting to her. Instead of answering, she asks a question after a while.

“Why do you ask?” She asks in a small voice.

Sooyoung sighs again. It seems like that’s the only thing she does these days. “Because after that day, your behaviour towards me change. Your behaviour towards Momo change. I don’t need to explain it because I know you realize it too.”

Sana grits her teeth. She doesn’t want to answer. She’s sure Sooyoung will know if she lies, but she doesn’t want to tell the truth either. The silence lasts for minutes, and Sooyoung can’t take it anymore.

“Is it really that hard to answer? Sana, please-“ Sana looks up and sees that tears are forming in Sooyoung’s eyes. “Answer me honestly. Nothing happened, right? You were just being kind to your best friend, nursed her until she’s healthy again. That’s it, right?”

Sana’s heart hurts so much, seeing Sooyoung like this. She hurts her. Sooyoung is nothing but kind to her all this time, being the perfect girlfriend for her. But Sana never returns her kindness. She hurts her instead. She never even said that she loves her back.

“Sana, answer me.”

“I’m really sorry, Sooyoung. I’m sorry.” Tears are dropping from Sana’s eyes to her cheek. Sooyoung’s breath hitched. She stands up from her seat, and leaves the money for her share.

She looks at Sana. Sana can see the anger and disappointment in her eyes.

“I should have known from the start that you’re just playing around with me. And that you’re too coward to admit that you’re in love with your best friend.” She walks towards the exit door, leaving Sana alone. A waitress is looking at Sooyoung, then at her.

Sana cries silently. She did something really bad. Sooyoung haven’t done anything wrong to her, but Sana treated her so badly. She really hates herself. Why can’t she answer her? No, why did she have to lie in the first place? Why did she kiss Momo again when she knew it was wrong?

Then, her phone’s ringing. She doesn’t want to answer it but she sees the name on the screen.

It’s Momo.

She doesn’t know why, but she taps the answer button. She wants to stop crying, but she can’t. She really doesn’t want Momo to know what just happened. She covers her mouth, hoping her sobs won’t be loud enough for Momo to hear.

 _“Sana! Do you want to- hey, what’s wrong?”_ Momo’s voice from the other line changes drastically. Sana can hear her concerns. She knows she has to stop crying, but hearing Momo’s voice makes her cry even more. Momo can hear her sobs clearly now.

 _“Where are you? I’m coming to you right now.”_ Hearing only sobs, Momo continues. _“Text me your location, okay? I’ll be there.”_

Momo really comes to her a few minutes later. She doesn’t even bother to look at the waitress who welcomes her, and walks straight to where Sana is. She sits down next to Sana, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

She doesn’t say anything, just holds her close. She presses her lips on top of Sana’s head, rubbing her shoulder gently. Everyone who passes by them stares at them, and Momo glares in return.

Momo whispers softly, “Let’s go home? I’ll be with you.” Sana nods. She’s still crying, but calms down a little now that Momo is here. Momo kisses her cheek, and helps her stands up. Momo receives a glare from the waitresses because she doesn’t buy anything, but Momo ignores them.

She doesn’t let go of Sana’s hand on the way home.

.

Sana tells Momo that she just broke up with Sooyoung. She doesn’t tell the reason, though, and Momo won’t ask. If Sana doesn’t tell her something, that means she doesn’t want to. And Momo respects that. Sana looks so weak, she cries so much. It’s like she’s really sad that she broke up with Sooyoung.

Momo is being a really bad friend right now. Because even though she comforts Sana and stays with her, she feels so light. It’s like a weight has been lifted from her back.

She actually feels really glad Sana broke up with her girlfriend.

Momo shakes the thought. She shouldn’t be happy. Sana is grieving right now, she should be sad too. But she can’t. She can’t stop thinking that Sana isn’t anyone’s right now. That she is the closest to Sana right now.

They hold each other close on Momo’s bed. Sana rests her head on Momo’s chest, and wraps her arms around her waist. Momo wraps her arms around Sana’s shoulders. She kisses her forehead. Sana hums.

Sana closes her eyes, so she doesn’t know that Momo is staring at her lips. Momo really wants to kiss them right now, but she knows it’s not the right time. Well, there’s never a right time to kiss your best friend, but she can’t help but keep thinking about it.

When she’s about to close her eyes, Sana cups her cheek. She gives Momo a quick peck. It happens so fast that Momo isn’t sure it even happens. Before she can even look at Sana’s face, Sana already hides her face on Momo’s chest again. Momo waits for a while but then she hears a soft snore that’s coming from Sana.

.

“We’re heeeeereee!!” Screams Nayeon when they arrive at the villa. They immediately put down their bags, change into swimsuits and run to the beach. Before Dahyun and Tzuyu can join, Chaeyoung stops them.

“Wait! I want to discuss something with you guys.”

Dahyun groans. “Can’t it wait, Chae? The sea is waiting for us!”

“Please! It won’t take long.” They sigh, and stay with Chaeyoung. They sit on the couch, and Chaeyoung plays around with the cushion before she starts. “So, I’m going to confess to Mina tonight.”

Dahyun’s and Tzuyu’s eyes widen. They don’t even realize they’re screaming. “SERIOUSLY?!” Chaeyoung quickly covers their mouths. Thank God there are only the three of them in the room.

“Sshh, don’t be too loud! And yeah, seriously. I have fallen in love with her for one year now, and I think this is the right time.” Dahyun and Tzuyu still can’t believe what they just heard, and Chaeyoung knows it. “I know, she may reject me. But at least I want her to know about my feelings. I’m ready to take the risk now, and I’m willing to still be her friend.”

Dahyun hugs Chaeyoung, ruffling her hair. “I’m so proud of you, dude! Go on! We will support you no matter what!” Chaeyoung giggles and Tzuyu caresses her hair.

“I know you can do it. I really hope you get the best answer from her.” Chaeyoung smiles at her words.

“Thanks, guys. For all this time.” And the three of them have a group hug. A minute later, Jihyo picks them up and tell them to come and play too.

.

After dinner, they decide the pairs for the rooms. There are four rooms, so two people in three of the rooms and three on the fourth.

Sana sleeps with Mina. Jihyo gets the same room as Tzuyu. Jeongyeon sighs when Dahyun and Chaeyoung cheers that the three of them are in the same room. She warns them to not be so noisy because she really wants to sleep. Sana feels uneasy about the last pair.

Momo and Nayeon.

She can’t stop imagining that Momo and Nayeon will be on the same bed. They will be so close to each other, talk all night, and cuddle when they’re asleep. Maybe Nayeon will even kiss Momo goodnight, she likes giving kisses. Sana tries to get rid of the feeling inside her chest. So what? They are close friends, and all of them do that every time. Sana doesn’t have any need to feel like this.

But she can’t stop thinking about the way Nayeon looks at Momo. She might hide it, but Sana realizes. Nayeon always looks at Momo with so much love, and it’s different from the others. The way she holds Momo close, kisses her, and smiles at Momo, are more than a friend would.

She shakes the thought. There’s no need to think about this. And if it’s true, what will she do about it? It’s not like it’s any of her business.

.

Mina walks through the sand and finally finds Chaeyoung standing close to the sea. The girl messaged her, saying she has something to talk about. It’s in the middle of the night, but Mina is always a night person anyway, so she’s not asleep yet. The cold wind blows through her hair. Chaeyoung reminded her to wear a jacket.

“Sorry for calling you here. I have something to tell you and I don’t want anyone to hear it.” Mina nods. What does she want to tell her that can’t be heard by the others? Should she be worried?

Chaeyoung scratches the back of her neck. She clears her throat. She feels really scared and nervous, but she braves herself. It’s now or never.

She stares straight into Mina’s eyes. “Mina I have known you for one year now, and we’ve became friends not long after we met. The first time I saw you, I thought I had seen an angel. You are so beautiful, so elegant, and your voice is so gentle. After we’ve became friends, though, I knew you’re a human too, just like me. You make mistakes, you can be angry, and you can be clumsy sometimes.” Mina pouts at the last part. “But that makes me interested in you more.” Chaeyoung smiles, thinking how cute she is.

“The day when you encouraged me to keep on drawing and writing songs, I’ve never been so happier. You supported me so much, and even accompanied me when I’m having a hard time. You became such an important figure to me.” Chaeyoung stops for a while. She takes a deep breath, and continues.

“My feeling for you change romantically. I can’t see you as a friend anymore. You’re different than the others to me. You have a special place in my heart.” Chaeyoung tries not to break the eye contact.

“I really like you, Mina. Will you go out with me?”

Chaeyoung closes her eyes after she said that. She already uses all her courage and now she’s really scared. She doesn’t want to see Mina’s face. She doesn’t want to know her reaction.

But then she feels Mina standing so close to her. She can hear her breath and smells her fragrance. She smells really good and relaxing.

“Chaeyoung, open your eyes, please?”

Chaeyoung opens her eyes. She almost loses her balance because Mina’s face is too close. She can see all her beauty marks clearly.

Mina slips her fingers to Chaeyoung’s and intertwines them together. It’s so smooth that Chaeyoung’s heart stops beating for a second.

“Thank you for telling me all that. I’m really happy.” She smiles softly, the smile Chaeyoung loves the most. Mina looks down on the sand beneath them. “To be honest, I’ve never understood about this kind of feeling. All of my friends were talking about it since middle school, and I often heard about their experience. I have never felt like that. Heart beating so fast, chest feels so warm, cheeks so red, and always thinking about a particular someone, I’ve never experienced all of that.”

Chaeyoung waits for her to continue. Mina stares at Chaeyoung now. She presses their foreheads together.

“But I felt it when I got to know you. I didn’t know the reason why you’re so different from the others to me, but one day I understood. I realized that I like you. I was so scared of the feeling, so scared that it would ruin our friendship.” Mina gulps. Chaeyoung can see she’s trembling and hold her hands even tighter. Mina smiles at the gesture.

“I like you too, Chaeyoung. I’d be more than happy to go out with you.”

Chaeyoung smiles so wide that her mouth’s hurt. She can’t stop giggling like an idiot and Mina joins her. Chaeyoung is the happiest right now. Her body feels so warm, her eyes are watery because of happiness. She lets go one of Mina’s hand and cups her cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” She can see the blush on Mina’s cheeks when she says that. Mina looks down for a second then nod. Chaeyoung brushes their noses together before presses her lips against Mina’s.

The kiss tastes so sweet. Just like her girlfriend.

.

All of their friends cheer for them when Chaeyoung announces that she and Mina are dating. Sana can’t stop squealing, Jeongyeon ruffles both of their hair, Momo kisses their cheeks, Nayeon and Jihyo hug them tight. Dahyun and Tzuyu look so proud of Chaeyoung. She attacks both of them in a big hug and thanks them nonstop.

They are playing again that day. They swim, watch movies, playing games, and see fireworks. Momo pretends to be calm, but when the fireworks blast and make a loud sound, she crouches on the ground and covers her ears. Momo is really scared of fireworks, but she keeps it a secret from everyone, except for Sana. When Sana realizes this and about to comfort the girl, a scared Nayeon hugs her first. Sana freezes. Nayeon looks scared as well, but she’s trying to protect Momo. Momo hides her face on Nayeon’s neck and holds her tightly.

The others are too busy looking at the fireworks to realize the two girls. But Sana keeps on looking at them.

That is supposed to be her job to protect Momo.

.

Momo finds the spot next to her on the bed empty in the middle of the night. She searches for Nayeon around the room but can’t find her. When she’s outside of the room, she finds Nayeon to be sitting on the porch, looking at the sky, alone.

Nayeon yelps when she feels a pair of hands closing her eyes. When she can see again and discovers Momo who’s laughing right now, she hits her on the arm. Momo sits next to her.

“What are you doing here?” She puts a blanket around them both. Nayeon feels so warm.

“Just thinking about something.” Momo turns her head. She looks like she wants to ask, but keeps her mouth closed. Nayeon smiles. “It’s Chaeyoung and Mina. They look so cute and I’m so happy for them.”

Momo nods. “Me too. I’m glad they could talk about their feelings together.” There’s a comfortable silence for a while and Nayeon rests her head on Momo’s shoulder.

“What about you?” Momo’s question makes her raises her head. Momo looks at her but Nayeon doesn’t answer. Actually, she tried to move on. She dated other girls for the last year, spent time with them to get her mind off Momo. But it failed. Because no matter how much she tried, her eyes kept on looking for the girl. Her heart only raced when she’s with Momo.

Because Nayeon doesn’t say anything and looks away, Momo turns her head from her too and stares at the sky. She doesn’t ask anything more. After a few minutes, Nayeon finally opens her mouth.

“I do have feelings for someone.” Momo turns her head to Nayeon again. Nayeon’s still not looking at her. “But I’m trying to give up. I know the person won’t like me back.”

They don’t realize that Sana just opens the door to her room and gets a drink. She hears voices from the porch, and finds that Nayeon is alone with Momo. She puts her drink and stares at them from the kitchen, making sure they won’t catch her staring. The voices are barely audible, but Sana can hear it a little.

“How do you know that?” Momo asks. Nayeon smiles bitterly and doesn’t answer to her question. “You’re Im Nayeon. ‘Giving up’ isn’t in your vocabulary. And aren’t you the type who likes chasing, rather than be chased? I thought you’ll make them like you even if they don’t right now.” Momo holds her hand.

“And even if they still don’t like you in the end, doesn’t it feel good to make them regret later when they finally know how amazing you are?” Momo grins. Nayeon stares at her. This idiot really has the audacity to talk like that, when the person Nayeon likes is her.

But that’s what she likes about Momo. Momo is so honest, so kind, so caring. She doesn’t say that to make Nayeon feels better, but because that’s what she really thinks. Nayeon sighs and smiles at her.

“Do you want to know who the person is?” Momo’s eyes gleam and she nods excitedly. Gosh, Nayeon really can’t handle her.

Momo doesn’t expect a pair of lips to press against hers. Nayeon is so close to her, without any gap between them. Before she can comprehend what’s going on, Nayeon pulls away.

“It’s you.”

.

Sana returns to her room and locks herself in the bathroom. She turns on the faucet, letting the sound of the water flowing fills the room. She needs it to hide her cry.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I've been so busy these days. This one is longer than usual!


	9. Part Nine

Sana is dreaming.

Momo is lying next to her. She doesn’t say anything, just staring at Sana intently. As if Sana will disappear if Momo takes her eyes off her.

Usually being stared at like this makes Sana feel awkward and embarrassed, but not this time. _Rather,_ not in this dream. Sana loves her gaze. They are shining so brightly, that Sana can see her own reflection.

Then, still silent, Momo cups Sana’s cheeks and leans closer. Sana’s breath hitched. Momo smiles softly at her reaction. She presses her lips against Sana’s and Sana immediately melts and closes her eyes.

Momo’s lips are so soft, just like how she remembered. Sana pulls her body closer by wrapping her arms around Momo’s waist. She doesn’t dwell on why Momo is kissing her right now, or if this is really just a dream. Sana doesn’t care. She just wishes this moment lasts forever.

They pull away and Sana opens her eyes. It’s still dark. Pitch black, even. She can’t see anything. She can’t see Momo. She can’t even sense Momo’s presence. Sana becomes panicked. She tries to call for Momo but her voice doesn’t come out. Terrified, Sana starts crying. She wants to get out of this place.

‘ _Where is Momo? Why did she leave me alone? No. Please, Momo don’t go anywhere.’_ Sana cries desperately even though she knows it doesn’t help.

Then, she wakes up.

.

The next semester has started, and yet Momo still hasn’t told Sana about Nayeon’s confession to her. In fact, both Nayeon and Momo acted like it didn’t happen at all. Momo still talks freely to Nayeon, even though the latter kissed her on the lips, and Nayeon still acts the same.

Somehow, this annoys Sana. Not at the fact that Nayeon confessed, or that they act like nothing happened, but rather at the fact that Momo didn’t tell her anything. They never keep secrets from each other. Momo tells Sana everything, and vice versa. Sana told Momo about the time when she got a girlfriend, why can’t Momo tell her about the confession?

But she knows she’s being selfish. It’s up to Momo if she wants to tell or not. Maybe Nayeon told her to keep it a secret, so it doesn’t get awkward between their circle. Or maybe they’re dating already and doesn’t want to make it public.

At the thought of Momo and Nayeon dating, Sana’s heart beats so fast. Why? Why does her heart feel so heavy? It doesn’t matter, does it? Momo can date whoever she wants. And Nayeon is so kind, she’ll treat Momo well. She should be happy for her best friend.

So, why is the thought making Sana teary?

.

_“You don’t have to give me the answer now.”_

_Momo finally snapped out of her mind. She felt like time was running again. What just happened didn’t feel real to her_ _._

_Nayeon just kissed her. On the lips._

_“Eh?” Was all that came out of Momo’s mouth._

_Nayeon chuckled, and burst into laughter. Momo still couldn’t process what’s going on._

_Nayeon put her hand above Momo, making the latter blush._

_“I like you, Momo. So much.” Momo could feel her face heat up. Probably Nayeon could see it too, because her cheeks turned red as well, though not as much as Momo’s._

_Even though Momo had her mouth open, no words could come out. She couldn’t believe this. Why would someone as wonderful as Nayeon like her? And, since when?_

_Getting no reply from Momo, Nayeon gave her a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it awkward between us.” She let go of her hand and about to stand, but Momo grabbed her wrist._

_“No! Sorry, I’m just surprised.” She didn’t want Nayeon to leave now. Not without a reply from her. “I-I don’t know what to say. I mean, um, I didn’t expect that at all.” Momo couldn’t stop stuttering. Ugh, Momo why do you have to be so bad at words?_

_Nayeon stayed. She knew how flustered Momo was right now, and she couldn’t blame her. “I know, it’s okay. At first, I didn’t want to tell you. But you said so yourself, right?” There’s a change of tone in her voice. It sounded more confident. It sounded more Nayeon. “That I shouldn’t give up too easily. That giving up is not in my vocabulary.”_

_Momo’s heart skipped a beat. Nayeon is so beautiful right now._

_“That’s why maybe I should give it a try.” Nayeon tucked a strand of hair behind Momo’s ear. “And I want you to finally see me, not just as a friend.”_

_They were still wrapped in a blanket, so even though the cold wind blew, Momo felt warm. Especially with Nayeon being so close to her. “I- I see.”_

_“But I don’t want you to act differently around me. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I want you to take your time for the answer, and I won’t bring this up.” Nayeon saw the expression on Momo’s face and continued. “And most importantly, I don’t want you to feel bad about me.”_

_Nayeon’s reassuring smile somehow eased Momo. She always had that effect on everyone. Momo smiled back. Her hand held Nayeon’s tight._

_“Okay. Thank you, Nayeon. For telling me.”_

_._

"Agh, I can't believe this!" Nayeon shouts out at the same time Momo cheers "Yes! I win!"

Sana turns her head. It's hard not to, not when the two of them are talking so loudly on Nayeon's seat, with Momo sitting on her lap.

Jeongyeon approaches them. "What are you guys doing?"

Momo grins, but Nayeon looks upset as she hides her face on Momo's hair. "Nayeon and I made a bet. Whether this actress is going out with her partner or not. Turns out, she's not! So, like promised, Nayeon's going to treat me!"

Jeongyeon laughs, joining Momo. Nayeon is pouting at them. Still, she wraps her arms around Momo. Sana watches them. She doesn't realise Jihyo is looking at her too.

Sana takes her bag and leaves the classroom. She doesn't want to be here right now. Momo seems to be having so much fun, she won't realise Sana is leaving the room. Jihyo, though, follows her. She says she wants to talk to Sana about something. She leads Sana to the rooftop.

Jeongyeon asks Nayeon if she'll also treat her but Nayeon sticks her tongue out. Momo turns to her best friend's seat, finding out that she’s no longer there.

.

“What do you want to talk about?” Sana asks Jihyo. She wonders why the rooftop is always empty every time Sana and Jihyo talk alone.

Jihyo gives her a look, the same look when Sana talked to Jihyo about her and Momo last year. “Did you know that Nayeon confessed to Momo?”

Sana’s breath becomes heavy again. Jihyo notices this. “Nayeon told me. Did Momo tell you?”

She looks away, controlling her voice so it doesn’t crack. “No? Oh, so Nayeon did, huh?” Sana thinks it convinces Jihyo, but like always, Jihyo always sees through her.

“Don’t act like you’re okay, Sana. I know you’re not.” Jihyo’s voice sounds so gentle. It pierces through her heart.

Sana tries to laugh. “What are you talking about, Jihyo? I’m- “

She’s suddenly remembering things she’s trying to forget. They way Momo wrapped her arms around her all the time, the way Momo caressed her hair so gently, the way Momo smiled brightly at her, the way Momo kissed her, the way her lips felt so nice pressed against hers.

And the scene of Nayeon kissing Momo that night.

“I’m- I’m okay.” Tears start dropping from her eyes. “I’m okay, Jihyo, I- “

Jihyo holds her tightly. She rubs Sana’s back, and Sana lets her head rests on Jihyo’s shoulder. She can’t stop tears flowing on her cheeks.

“I love her, Jihyo…” She sniffs. Her breathing is uneven. “I- I love Momo so much…”

Jihyo just hums in response. She keeps rubbing Sana’s back for a long while, until Sana finally lets go.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry.” Sana sniffs again. Her nose is red. Jihyo wipes her cheeks.

Jihyo smiles softly at her. “It’s okay. You can cry as much as you want.” Sana pouts and Jihyo giggles. “Sana, can you stop hiding your feelings now, and just tell Momo the truth?” Jihyo asks after a minute.

Sana looks down. She really has no idea what to answer. “I don’t know, Jihyo. I really don’t know. It’s just, we’ve been friends for so long, so I- I don’t know.” Jihyo nods. She understands. “Anyway, why are you doing this? I mean- Nayeon is your best friend.”

“I just don’t want any of my friend to get hurt. And that includes Nayeon, Momo, and of course, you.” Jihyo warmly smiles. Sana doesn’t really understand what that smile means, but she lets her smile anyway. Jihyo calms her down. And after all this time, she finally accepts that she’s in love with her best friend.

Though she doesn’t know what she’ll do about it.

.

Momo bumps into someone on her way back to the club room from the toilet. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She looks up to find that the person she bumps into is Park Sooyoung.

Sooyoung looks as surprised as Momo does. She looks away, mutters out an “It’s okay.” And quickly avoids her. But before she can walk away, Momo stops her.

“Wait! If you don’t mind, um, can we talk? I promise it won’t be long.” Sooyoung narrows her eyes. Momo gulps. She has never had a proper conversation with Sooyoung, so no wonder the girl looks at her weirdly.

But, to her surprise, Sooyoung agrees. They find an empty classroom and close the door. Momo stands beside the window and Sooyoung sits on one of the tables. They can hear the sounds from the sports club outside.

“What is it?” Sooyoung asks. Her voice sounds kind of bitter.

Momo braces herself before looking into Sooyoung’s eyes. “I don’t mean to intrude or anything - and you really don’t have to answer me if you mind.” Momo starts. She can feel the sweat on her palm. “But I can’t help but wonder, even now. Why did you break up with Sana?”

Sooyoung’s eyes widen. Then, she furrows her eyebrows. “Sana didn’t tell you?” Momo shakes her head. Sooyoung scoffs. “Then why should I? Why do you want to know about it, anyway? It’s none of your business.”

Momo leans against the window. “It’s not, but Sana looked so devastated that day. She couldn’t stop crying for a while. And after that, she’s changed. She doesn’t smile like she used to anymore. Maybe the others don’t notice it because she hides it really well, but I do. I hate seeing her like this. So, I figured I should ask you about it.”

Sooyoung doesn’t say anything. She just stares at Momo for a while. Momo doesn’t avert her gaze either. She locks her gaze, hoping Sooyoung would answer her question.

Sooyoung finally snaps and averts her gaze. She taps her fingers on the table. “It’s up to you to believe me or not. But I broke up with her because she loved someone else. She never loved me.”

Momo’s breath hitched. She stares at Sooyoung in disbelief. Sooyoung smiles bitterly seeing her reaction. “She didn’t tell me directly, but I could tell from the way she acted. Well, I’d rather break up than keep dating her after I realized that.” Momo convinces herself that Sooyoung is lying, but her eyes tell the truth. Momo can see the pain in them.

Momo’s mouth opens. Then closes. Her breath suddenly becomes heavy. She can’t hear the sounds from outside anymore. Her heart can’t stop beating like crazy.

Sana loved someone else? She loved them even though she was dating Sooyoung?

And she didn’t tell Momo about it?

She must’ve looked so shocked, because now Sooyoung’s eyes on her soften. “This must be a surprise for you. Sorry, please don’t tell Sana I told you. She even cried when I found out.”

“I- I see.” Momo’s voice cracks. She can’t talk properly. She can’t calm herself. Who is it? Who is that person? Does Momo know them? Does Sana still like them now? “Do- do you know who- “

“That, I can’t tell you. You’ll have to ask Sana.” Momo clenches her fist. Sooyoung gets down from the table and walks towards the exit. “It’s really none of my business, but I think you guys really need to talk to each other. About everything.” Then, without looking back, Sooyoung leaves the room.

.

They meet every day. They’re in the same class. They sleep in the same room. Yet, Sana feels an unpleasing distance between her and Momo.

Momo sits on the desk, doing her homework. Sana, already finished hers half an hour ago, is lying on her bed with her back facing Momo. She misses Momo’s presence next to her. They are just a meter apart, but Sana feels as if Momo is so far from her. It’s not like they don’t talk. They try to act casual, but both of them know something is a little off.

Sana hears Momo getting up from her seat. She’s probably done with her homework. Sana turns around.

“Momorin…” She mumbles.

Momo turns to her and smiles. Sana doesn’t have to say anything more, Momo understands. She walks closer to Sana’s bed and slips into Sana’s embrace. Sana places a kiss on her forehead.

They stay like that. Momo’s body fits perfectly on Sana’s arms. Sana loves these kinds of moments. Where they stay comfortably in each other’s arms, not saying anything. They don’t have to say anything. Just the two of them, with no one else in mind.

But somehow, this time Momo seems to disagree. She kisses Sana’s cheek before saying, “Nayeon confessed to me.”

Sana already knew. But having Momo tell her that makes it hurts even more. “Did she? Have you given her the answer?”

Momo furrows her eyebrows because Sana doesn’t sound surprised at all. But she ignores it. Instead, she rests her head on Sana’s chest. Sana really hopes she can’t hear the rhythm of Sana’s heartbeats. “I haven’t. I don’t know what to say.” Momo’s silent for a while. She looks like she wants to say something else. She plays with the fabric of Sana’s sweater. “What do you think, Sana?”

Momo looks up at her. Sana feels like her eyes are trying to tell her something, but she shakes the thought. She runs her hand through Momo’s hair. “Just… do whatever your heart tells you? I’ll support you no matter what kind of choice you’ll make.”

Momo sits up, positioning herself so she’s at the same eye-level with Sana. Sana looks at her puzzlingly. Then, Momo presses their foreheads together and brushes her nose against Sana’s. She hasn’t kissed her yet, but Sana’s heart is already doing somersault and she finds herself gulping. She can hear her own pulse in her ears.

When Momo finally reaches her lips, Sana gasps. Momo kisses her rather aggressively. She bites her lips, her tongue roaming inside Sana’s mouth, and Sana can’t help but moan loudly. "M- Momo..." Sana tries to pull away but Momo's lips keep chasing her. Her lips are getting swollen from Momo's tongue. Instead of pushing her away, Sana wraps her arms around Momo's neck. Momo takes this as a sign to continue.

After a lot of kisses, Momo finally pulls away. "I’m asking _you_." She's kissing her again. Sana can see the change in Momo's eyes. Is that... anger? "What do _you_ think, Sana?" Then, she moves from Sana's lips to her shoulder. Kissing and biting her there. Sana groans.

"W- What's wrong with you, Momo?" Sana tries to talk between gasps. "D- do you have something you want to- tell me?"

Momo stops kissing her neck and looks straight into her eyes. Her eyes darken, and Sana ignores how attractive she looks right now.

"Do you?" Momo mutters before she kisses her lips again. She licks Sana's lips, making the latter shivers. "Answer me, Sa-tan." Sana can only whimper in response. "What do you think about Nayeon's confession to me?"

_'Of course I want you to reject her.’_ Sana thinks as she opens her mouth so Momo’s tongue can enter again. _'Stay with me. Don't ever leave me. Go out with me instead.'_

The words are at the tip of her tongue, but suddenly she sees Nayeon.

Nayeon's eyes when she’s staring at Momo.

Nayeon's smile when she was talking with Momo.

And how confident she was when she confessed to Momo.

And Sana feels something in her throat. Something bitter in her mouth. Because she saw herself in Nayeon.

She's stealing Momo away from Nayeon, the one who deserves her more.

The one who is not a coward, unlike Sana.

Sana grabs Momo's shoulder and pushes her away.

"Sa-tan?"

"I'll be really happy if you accept her confession." Sana can't bring herself to look into Momo's eyes. "Nayeon is a really nice girl, and I can see she likes you very much."

Momo lets go of Sana's grip on her. Sana can see pain in her eyes. Grief, and sorrow. Still, Sana can't figure out what it all means.

"Is that so?" Is all Momo says before she lets go of herself and walks towards her own bed. She lies there, not moving an inch. Sana wants to reach out to her. She wants to hug her from behind, kiss her, and say that she didn’t mean it.

But she didn’t. Because she is a coward.

.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now!” Momo opens her eyes after Nayeon’s command. And when she sees a Monster Inc’s Boo doll, she can’t help but squeal.

“Boo! Aw, it’s sooo cuuute!” Momo hugs the doll, she’s acting like a child. Nayeon giggles. Momo is so cute. They are in Nayeon’s room right now. Jeongyeon went to Jihyo’s room to study, and Nayeon texted Momo, telling her she has something for the girl.

“Do you like it?” Nayeon asks. Momo nods happily. She can’t stop grinning. This makes Nayeon’s smile even more. “I saw it at the store the other day, and I couldn’t help but think about you. So, I ended up buying it without thinking.”

Momo feels her cheeks turn red. Does she even deserve to be in Nayeon’s mind? Is she even worthy of her kindness?

It’s been 3 months since Nayeon’s confession. Momo hasn’t given her an answer yet, but Nayeon never mentioned it. Not even once. Like she promised, she didn’t do anything that made Momo uncomfortable. In fact, Momo feels a lot more comfortable being with her now. Momo finds herself at ease being with Nayeon.

Momo notices the way Nayeon stares and smiles at her, and she can’t help the butterflies in her stomach.

“Thank you, Nayeon. Really.” Momo knows saying that isn’t enough to convey her feelings and gratitude. She’s always been bad with words. She just hopes her feelings are conveyed to Nayeon.

Unexpectedly, with just those words, Nayeon blushes. Momo raises her eyebrows. Nayeon covers her face. Her ears are red.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“What?”

Nayeon peeks through her fingers. She’s trying so hard to hide her smile, but she fails.

“Don’t look at me with ‘that’ look. It makes me want to kiss you.”

Momo flinches. Her heart starts thumping. Nayeon is being really cute right now. Momo scoots closer, taking Nayeon’s hands away from her face, until she can completely see Nayeon’s bashful face. They stare at each other. Momo can hear the sound of Nayeon’s heartbeats.

“Nayeon, I- “

.

Sana jolts when Momo enters the room. They haven’t really talked after that day. Sana wanted to explain herself, but she never had the courage. And Momo spends most of her times with Nayeon these days. So they rarely had the time together, except when they’re about to sleep.

Sana is about to talk to her, but the grin on Momo’s face stops her.

Sana can’t help but smile. “Where have you been?”

_Sana opens her eyes, but it’s still dark. Pitch black, even_

“Sana.” Momo can’t stop smiling. Her cheeks are pink.

_She can’t see Momo anywhere. She can’t even sense Momo’s presence._

“Yes?”

“I’m dating Nayeon now.”

_Sana cries desperately, calling out Momo’s name. But she knows it doesn’t help._

_She really wants to get out of this place._

_._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reaaally sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoy!


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